Kole Calhoun

Kole Calhoun

37-Year-Old OutfielderOF
 Free Agent  
Free Agent
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Kole Calhoun in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
$Signed a one-year contract with the Dodgers in June of 2023. Traded to the Guardians in August of 2023.
Retires from baseball
OFFree Agent  
March 15, 2024
Calhoun announced Friday via his personal Instagram account that he has retired from professional baseball.
ANALYSIS
Calhoun will close the book on his career after 12 seasons in the majors. The 36-year-old outfielder amassed 1,076 hits, 179 home runs and 582 RBI in his career over stops with the Angels, Diamondbacks, Rangers and Guardians and took home a Gold Glove Award in 2015.
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Batting Stats
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2022
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Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2022
 
 
+10%
OPS vs LHP
2024
No Stats
2023
 
 
+2%
OPS vs LHP
2022
 
 
+13%
OPS vs LHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2022vs Left .654 135 13 6 21 0 .202 .267 .387
Since 2022vs Right .594 463 41 12 53 3 .202 .263 .330
2024vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2024vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023vs Left .666 50 6 3 10 0 .191 .240 .426
2023vs Right .653 124 12 3 15 0 .227 .298 .355
2022vs Left .646 85 7 3 11 0 .208 .282 .364
2022vs Right .572 339 29 9 38 3 .193 .251 .322
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Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2022
 
 
+1%
OPS on Road
2024
No Stats
2023
 
 
+4%
OPS on Road
2022
 
 
+1%
OPS on Road
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2022Home .603 290 21 11 43 1 .189 .245 .358
Since 2022Away .611 308 33 7 31 2 .214 .282 .329
2024Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2024Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023Home .646 91 7 4 14 0 .198 .264 .383
2023Away .670 83 11 2 11 0 .237 .301 .368
2022Home .584 199 14 7 29 1 .185 .236 .348
2022Away .589 225 22 5 20 2 .206 .276 .314
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Kole Calhoun See More
Lineup Lowdown: American League
Lineup Lowdown: American League
September 12, 2023
September 12, 2023
Ryan Boyer delivers Lineup Lowdown, with a deep dive into American League lineups, including the Astros bumping Jeremy Pena back up the batting order.
Todd's Takes: Winning Isn't Everything
August 30, 2023
Todd Zola makes the case for innings pitched over wins or quality starts as a fantasy category and shares his thoughts from Tuesday's box scores.
DraftKings MLB: Saturday Breakdown
August 19, 2023
Dan Marcus expects Luis Robert to rack up the fantasy points at Coors Field.
Lineup Lowdown: American League
August 15, 2023
Ryan Boyer delivers his Lineup Lowdon for the American League, with Randy Arozarena moving up in the order for Tampa Bay.
Todd's Takes: Opening Arguments and Easy Graders
August 10, 2023
Todd Zola investigates whether using an opener leads to more wins and shares his observations from Wednesday's MLB action around the league.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
Calhoun landed a $5.2 million contract with the Rangers after the Diamondbacks declined a $9 million option for 2022. The veteran right fielder is in a good situation to earn playing time, but age is starting to take its toll on his skillset. According to FanGraphs WAR, Calhoun was a replacement-level player in 51 games last year. It's hard to fully buy into what he did in 2019 due to the juiced ball, and his exploits in 2020 came in 54 games during the shortened season. He has the upside to hit 20 homers with an OBP over .320, but he has the downside to be waiver-wire fodder in the vast majority of mixed leagues.
Only six hitters in baseball had more homers than Calhoun's 16 last season. That total was buoyed by a career-high 28.6% HR/FB after he'd previously topped out at 22.9% in 2019, his final year with the Angels. Calhoun reached 30 HR for the first time in that infamous juiced-ball season after finishing in the high teens the three seasons prior (2016-18). He remained a batting average drain in 2020, hitting in the low .200s again even with a 21.9 K%, and a career-high pull rate approaching 60% paints a grim picture for his BA moving forward. Fortunately for Calhoun, he can still take his walks (12.3 BB% last season), and that skill should help prop him up as he pushes into his mid-30s. Calhoun is not a strict platoon player, but expect the Diamondbacks to sit him here or there against tough lefties while batting him anywhere from first to fifth versus RHP.
After three straight seasons of home-run totals in the high teens, Calhoun broke through with a career-high 33 long balls in 2019. The improvement can be attributed to a pair of changes in his approach -- an increase in average launch angle (from 12.0 degrees in 2018 to 14.7 degrees in 2019) and a pull rate (47.4%) that ranked 10th among qualified hitters. Unfortunately, the increased power output was accompanied by a career-high strikeout rate (25.6%) and a tepid .232 batting average, keeping Calhoun on the waiver wire in some mixed leagues. The 32-year-old does walk at a steady rate (11.1 BB%), but that's more of a real-life asset than a fantasy one. Calhoun's age and Statcast numbers suggest that he has neared the peak of his power potential, so he'll need to raise his batting average to a respectable level to be a net positive fantasy option after signing a two-year deal with the Diamondbacks.
When the Angels announced they were lowering the home-run line on their right-field fence, the lefty-hitting Calhoun became an intriguing sleeper. Those who took the plunge were rewarded with one of baseball's worst hitters before an oblique injury sidelined him in June. During the absence, Calhoun revised his batting stance, switching to a crouch that loosened up his swing and gave him more of an uppercut plane, and he went on to unleash a 10-homer July. Calhoun should've been much better on the whole. Per Statcast, he carried the second-greatest (ie, unluckiest) negative differential between wOBA (.283) and xwOBA (.334), and the third-greatest negative differential between BA (.208) and xBA (.252). He slugged 16 of his 19 homers against righties, and Calhoun's plodding foot speed doesn't portend more stolen bases. Still, the 31-year-old's career OBP and useful defense will help his playing time.
Calhoun narrowly missed the 20-homer plateau in 2017, despite playing in at least 155 games for the third consecutive season. For the first time since he became a big-league regular in 2013, Calhoun's slugging percentage dipped below .400, while his batting average bottomed out at .244. Underneath those numbers is a hard-hit rate that fell from 35.3 percent in 2016 to 31.7 percent in 2017, along with the highest pull rate of his career (44.7 percent) and more groundballs than ever (43.9 percent). Ultimately, there were a few downturns, but nothing so precipitous to think that he can't return to a line closer to his career mark (.261/.330/.426) this season. The home-run total may never match the 26 he hit back in 2015, but Calhoun does a little bit of everything in a quietly improving Angels lineup with a nice amount of job security, which should make him a top-75 outfielder again in 2018.
Overall, Calhoun displayed significant improvement, especially with respect to plate skills as he recorded a career-high walk rate in tandem with his lowest strikeout rate as a major leaguer. The power was there as evidenced by career marks in doubles and triples; Calhoun just didn't follow league trends with respect to increased homers. Flyball distance is a leading indicator for homers, and in 2014, Calhoun hit 17 homers with an average of 281 feet per fly. The following season he smacked 24 homers with an average flyball distance of 305 feet. Last year he split the distance, averaging 292 feet with only 18 homers. This forecasts a home run total in the low twenties, which bodes well for 2017, especially if Calhoun maintains most or all of his plate skill gains. Calhoun adds value with his durability as he's missed only eight games over the past two seasons. He's a solid, stabilizing force in any fantasy outfield.
The stars seemed aligned for a big fantasy season from Calhoun in 2015. He was going to hit at the top third of a projected potent lineup and some were projecting 100 runs and a top-50 performance by season’s end. Oops. Calhoun was in the lineup every day, but the extra exposure to lefties dragged his numbers down. He hit .220/.293/.370 with a 26 percent K-rate against lefties versus .272/.316/.447 with a 23 percent K-rate against righties. Eighteen of his 26 homers came against righties and despite the extra 150 plate appearances, he scored 12 fewer runs than the season before. Calhoun had plenty of lineup protection behind him in Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, but the leadoff spot was a problem all year long for the Angels. Yunel Escobar (career .350 OBP) figures to occupy that spot to start 2016, so that should represent a tangible upgrade. Calhoun’s defense keeps him in the lineup every day, but that will also hurt his batting average.
Expectations were high for Calhoun's first full season as an everyday player, as many saw the potential for a multi-category contributor after he was given an opportunity to succeed in the leadoff spot. An ankle injury suffered in mid-April while he was running down the first-base line sidelined Calhoun for more than a month, but he still settled in atop the Angels' lineup as the season unfolded. Heralded in 2013 for his ability to capably handle lefties, Calhoun hit .252/.322/.388 against them last season, prompting a platoon with Collin Cowgill in right field for part of the season. Limited to 127 games, Calhoun still hit 17 home runs and showed power similar to his rookie campaign, but he only attempted eight steals last season, perhaps due to the aforementioned ankle injury. Even if he loses time against left-handed pitching, Calhoun should have a prominent place in a very strong Angels lineup on the larger side of a platoon in right field.
After slugging a Ruthian-like .617 in 59 games at Triple-A Salt Lake in 2013, Calhoun was promoted to the big club late in July, when it was determined that Albert Pujols would likely spend the rest of the season on the disabled list. Calhoun took full advantage of the opportunity, as he slugged .482 and got on base at a .343 clip in 99 PA in August. With the Angels moving Peter Bourjos to the Cardinals in November, Calhoun is a serious contender for a regular spot in the outfield, likely in right field. While he does not offer a standout tool, Calhoun does everything reasonably well and could benefit from the talent in the lineup around him, especially if Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton can rebound.
Calhoun spent most of the 2012 season with Triple-A Salt Lake City of the Pacific Coast League, batting .298/.369/.507 with 14 home runs and 12 steals in 463 plate appearances. As always, you'll want to take offensive numbers from the PCL with a grain of salt, although that doesn't change the fact that Calhoun's bat looks like the real deal. He could open the year as the Angels' fourth or fifth outfielder, but it will probably make more sense for the organization to let him continue his development with regular playing time at the Triple-A level.
More Fantasy News
On bench versus lefty
OFCleveland Guardians  
September 29, 2023
Calhoun is absent from the lineup Friday versus the Tigers.
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Not in lineup Wednesday
OFCleveland Guardians  
September 27, 2023
Calhoun is absent from the lineup Wednesday against the Reds.
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Goes yard in Tuesday's loss
OFCleveland Guardians  
September 27, 2023
Calhoun went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 11-7 loss to the Reds.
ANALYSIS
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Sitting against southpaw
OFCleveland Guardians  
September 23, 2023
Calhoun isn't in the Guardians' lineup Saturday versus the Orioles.
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Not in lineup Sunday
OFCleveland Guardians  
September 17, 2023
Calhoun is absent from the lineup Sunday versus the Rangers.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
No real pursuit from Angels
OFArizona Diamondbacks  
March 7, 2020
Calhoun indicated there was never serious contract discussions with the Angels after the team declined his $14 million club option for 2020, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
The Angels paid a $1 million buyout in order to decline the option in November and did have additional contact with Calhoun, but he said there was "never really a moment I thought I'd be back." The 32-year-old ultimately signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Diamondbacks, but it's fairly apparent his former team was content entering 2020 with Brian Goodwin and top prospect Jo Adell as its main options for right field. Calhoun had a .792 OPS and career-high 33 home runs in 2019.
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