LA Angels Kole Calhoun quietly having a strong season

The LA Angels are starting to put some things together and it is the usual suspects who are leading the charge, but there are also some players who are surprises.

Kole Calhoun has always been a solid player for the LA Angels throughout his eight years with the Angels, with the exception of last season’s horrible first half.  This season despite a low batting average, Kole Calhoun has had a solid season helping to keep the Angels in the race with guys like Justin Upton, Shohei Ohtani, and Andrelton Simmons.

Calhoun so far has hit 16 homers with 38 RBIs and is hitting .235. Calhoun has hit numerous game-tying and go-ahead home runs during the season.  This is not to mention Calhoun’s always superb defense.  He still possesses a cannon for an arm and makes plays that many right fielders can’t.

The thing that most people miss with Calhoun is how important his leadership is in the clubhouse and on the field.  Calhoun and Trout work so well together in the outfield and are maybe the best right field-center field tandem defensively in the American League.

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The question will be what the Angels will do with Calhoun going forward.  If the team is in the race going into August, Calhoun will remain an Angel through the rest of the season.  If they are out of the race by then, it is possible that the Angels might try to flip Calhoun for some prospects.

This would not be a popular decision as Calhoun is a fan-favorite and the third-longest tenured player on the team behind Trout and Pujols.  However, it may be the smart thing to do if the Angels do not plan on keeping Calhoun next season.  Calhoun has a team-option for next season for about 13 to 14 million dollars.  The Angels could decide to decline the option and sign him to more of a club friendly contract as well.

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The Angels know that Jo Adell and potentially Brandon Marsh could be close to being major-league ready next season as well.  For now I just hope that Angel fans appreciate what Kole Calhoun brings to the table for the Angels.  Even though his numbers are not eye-popping he is worth so much more because of the intangibles he brings.

This is not to mention that if Calhoun keeps on the same pace that he will set career-highs in home runs and RBIs (projected 34 homers and 88 RBIs).

Hopefully Calhoun will keep playing as well as he has so far this season as he can definitely be a key part of a playoff run down the stretch.