By Jason Cox Leader-Telegram
MINNEAPOLIS — Kole Calhoun doesn’t get it. The former Eau Claire Express player isn’t sure why everyone seems surprised he’s playing so well at the highest level.
“I believe in myself,” Calhoun said. “Everybody keeps asking, ‘How are you doing this? What’s going on?’ When you’re a baseball player and you’ve played well everywhere you’ve been, you expect to have success.”
Maybe they’re surprised because Calhoun is generously listed at 5-foot-10, 190 pounds and he’s hitting a home run once every 20 at-bats against the best pitchers on the planet.
“I’m not going to say I’m a home run guy, but it’s been part of my game everywhere I’ve been,” Calhoun said. “It’s nice that it’s been there recently. I just go out and try to help the team win. If it happens one day, it happens.”
Maybe they’re stunned by how quickly his success has come. He hit just .174 in spring training after batting .240 during a brief call-up in his first MLB stint with the Los Angeles Angels last season. Then he broke his wrist early in the year at Triple-A Salt Lake and missed six weeks. Now, suddenly, he’s back in the Big Leagues and raking at a .299 clip. It’s been quite the turnaround.
“He’s made some incredible adjustments that not many players can make,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “It’s put him right where he should be. These adjustments would’ve eventually had to happen. He made them in half a season.”
Or maybe they’re just shocked to see Calhoun producing in the middle of the Angels lineup. No one — not even Calhoun — expected him to be hitting there when the season began. With the likes of Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton and Mark Trumbo on the team, the thought of a guy like Calhoun being a fixture in the cleanup or fifth spot was almost laughable.
But when Pujols was put on the disabled list on July 28, Calhoun was called up to take the roster spot vacated by the three-time MVP who became the face of the franchise before last season when he signed a 10-year, $254 million.
“You can’t replace a guy like that,” Calhoun said. “He’s a leader on and off the field. I just tried to come in and do my best and play the way I can play.”
Calhoun attended college at Arizona State and played for the Express for three summers from 2007-09 before the Angels drafted him in the eighth round of the 2010 MLB draft.
He spent the rest of that year in rookie ball before really showing his stuff in Single-A ball the next season. He hit .324 with 22 home runs and 99 RBIs in 2011. After he hit .354 in 48 spring training at-bats the following year, he started the 2012 season in Triple-A.
On May 22, 2012, Calhoun made his major league debut in Oakland. A day later, he doubled in his second major league at-bat.
“One of the clubbies grabbed the ball and put it in my locker,” Calhoun said. “He actually spelled my name wrong on it. I was taken aback for a second. Then he was like, ‘I’m just kidding, here’s the real ball.’ I guess that was my welcome to the Big Leagues moment.”
Despite all the talent on the Angels, Calhoun entered this season thinking he’d earn a spot on the team as a bench player. He was one of the last cuts even after an awful spring, so he still figured he’d get another crack on the Big League squad before the season ended.
When Pujols was declared out for the season and Peter Boujous had to have surgery, Calhoun filled in nicely. Scioscia likes that the left-hander has the ability to play all three outfield spots as well as first base. That versatility could help him stay on the loaded Big League club next year. And he’s proven to be a pretty good all-around hitter too.
“He brings a lot of talent to our club,” Scioscia said. “He has a lot of defensive versatility. On the offensive side, he’s shown some power. He’s been selective at the plate. He’s hit left-handed pitching. There’s a lot of things that you like to have that he brings. He really worked his way into this opportunity. It wasn’t just injuries.”
Working hard has always been apart of Calhoun’s game. He might not have the pure talent of some of his high-profile teammates, but Calhoun makes up for it with the way he plays the game.
“He’s kind of reckless,” fellow Angels outfielder Hamilton said. “He hustles everywhere, plays the game the right way. Obviously he’s not the biggest guy, but he plays at a level better than a lot of guys in the league.”
In just six weeks, Calhoun has provided plenty of highlights for an Angels team that’s struggled for most of the year. Probably the biggest one came on Aug. 2, when Calhoun hit his first career home run to break an eighth-inning tie and give the Angels a win.
The energy Calhoun has brought to the team has helped the Angels play above .500 since he was called up. He’s also a guy that brings life to the clubhouse.
“He’s a redhead, so he’s got a little extra fire to him,” Hamilton said. “He likes to have a good time, but when he gets between the lines, he’s a gamer all the way. He definitely adds a spark to the team.”
He’s also made a handful of diving catches in the outfield and has shown off his rocket arm that got him rated as the best outfield arm in the Angels system after the 2012 season. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who watched him blow hitters away while picking up 14 saves with a 0.38 ERA on the mound for the Express in 2007.
Now that Calhoun’s MLB career seems to have taken off, he still hasn’t forgotten his three memorable summers in Eau Claire and how playing in the Northwoods League got him ready for professional baseball.
“We had 56 games for a summer. That’s a lot of baseball,” Calhoun said. “It really gets you prepared for what the lifestyle is like in minor league baseball. That was definitely eye-opening and got me prepared and taught me how to take care of myself in order to play everyday.”
