The Rangers optioned outfielder Willie Calhoun to Triple-A today, as part of the team’s efforts to pare down to 26 players in advance of Monday’s roster reduction deadline. Calhoun’s demotion was seen as something of a surprise, and it appears as though he sees the move as something of a last straw.
“(I’m) gonna go to Triple A and put myself in a position to get traded. I do want to be traded,” Calhoun told The Athletic’s Levi Weaver. “I do want to be traded….I don’t know if I’ll play another game in a Rangers uniform. And I let them know that.”
Once a top-100 prospect, Calhoun was the key piece of the three-player package Texas received from the Dodgers for Yu Darvish at the 2017 trade deadline. It appeared as though Calhoun was on his way to becoming a fixture in the Rangers lineup when he hit .269/.323/.524 with 21 home runs over 337 PA in 2019, but injuries since played a role in his lack of production. Calhoun suffered a broken jaw after being hit in the face by a Julio Urias fastball during Spring Training 2020, and then missed three months of the 2021 season after suffering a forearm fracture when Kris Bubic hit him with another pitch.
Since the start of the 2020 campaign, Calhoun has hit only .223/.288/.339 over 445 plate appearances. That includes a .556 OPS over 53 PA this season, and the Rangers had seen enough to believe that Calhoun was expendable on the active roster. Calhoun’s issues with the organization have clearly been building for a while, as he told Weaver that “I’ve been wanting out for the last year, year and a half. I feel like I need a change of scenery.”
However, Calhoun also wasn’t pleased with how Rangers hitting coaches both old and new (Tim Hyers and assistant coach Seth Conner were hired over the offseason) tried to alter his swing and approach. “I don’t agree with some of the hitting philosophies from the new guys,” Calhoun said. “I don’t process that (information) too well. I’m not 6-4, 230 pounds; I can’t hit pop-up home runs. I don’t have that leverage.”
Rangers manager Chris Woodward told reporters Sunday the team wanted Calhoun “to work a little bit more vertical with his swing,” but Calhoun said this clashed with his ideal approach as the “line-drive, doubles guy” he was during his time in the Dodgers farm system.
There isn’t much leverage on Calhoun’s side to force a trade, as Texas still has control over his services through the 2024 season. There was some speculation whether the Rangers would tender him a contract last winter, the two sides avoided arbitration in Calhoun’s first arb-eligible year by agreeing to a $1.3MM salary for the 2022 season.
When asked about Calhoun’s desire for a trade, Rangers GM Chris Young simply said that “we’re looking to get Willie going. The game is about performance. If he goes out and performs at a high level, there will be an opportunity for him.”
This statement doesn’t rule out the possibility of a trade, of course, as it could be that Calhoun’s next “opportunity” could indeed come with another team. If the Rangers are ready to move on, they would naturally like to get some kind of decent return back, and as Calhoun noted, going on a tear at Triple-A would help him rebuild his stock for any teams interested in acquiring the 27-year-old.
Calhoun for Duvall. Get it done!
No
You sure don’t like Duvall.
I just want him gone. He is terrible.
So terrible he led the league in RBI. What a bum. Seriously your “hot take” is hot garbage.
Duvall plays a solid centerfield and a gold glove corner if moved to a corner outfield spot. I think Duvall bat will comeback around
Last year same number of games fans wanted Austin Riley to be moved.
Are you mental? Calhoun can’t hit or field or play center.
Rather hold on to duvall. He’s a bit more proven than Calhoun, as Calhoun has only had 1 decent season and duvall has hand a small handful. They would have to eat all his salary plus some of Calhoun plus add a minor leaguer that is a project but could make the pros
Even if Adam Duvall isn’t hitting great now, he plays a good defensive OF and he will pick it up. Willie Calhoun will be traded but he’s not as good as Duvall. The shortened spring seemed to have hurt a few players.
Lol this ain’t the NBA
If he can’t even crack the Rangers roster, what makes him think he’ll be in the big leagues with another team?
Rangers have the 5th most runs scored in the AL. We stink at pitching but the offense is fine.
It’s a childish reaction on his part. He has lousy range, so he can’t play the middle infield. He has a lousy arm so he can’t play 3B or RF. He’s short, so he can’t play 1B. He’s too slow to play CF. A liability in LF. So really DH it is. Now combine that with little power, and his ceiling as a contact hitter who doesn’t whiff much is what … Dave Magadan? Add in the reluctance to coaching (fwiw Hyers is considered a solid hitting instructor) and a hissy fit about how he has wanted to be gone for two years? Yikes. What has he done to earn an every day role? … I get it from the standpoint that Kole Calhoun has been just as bad, but the Rangers committed decent cash to KC for a year, while Willie has minor league options. A real man humbly takes the advice, works hard and gets better. Even if he wants to be elsewhere, go through the agent instead of smearing your club to a local beat reporter. At the end of the day, Willie will get his wish. He will never suit up in a Rangers uniform again. But, the miscalculation on his part is thinking he is a valuable asset. What little worth he had, he just tinkled away. So he will probably rot away in AAA for the rest of the season until a roster crunch forces the issue.
Absolutely spot on. I logged in just to say that. Calhoun has zero value. He might have had the slightest value before his hissy fit on social media. Teams don’t want this attitude unless he can rake. At .136 it’s pretty silly to request to be traded. Now he’s going to have to go down to AAA and hit for a while before the Rangers can move him. I don’t think he has the mental fortitude to do it. I can see him quitting baseball.
Reaction? He said he has wanted out for a year or year +.
That’s not a reaction. That’s a slow boil that finally spilled over.
Magadan had a .390 on base pct through 16 years while playing a solid 3b and a good 1b. A long career with well better than average production is hardly a criticism.
Texas rangers have the best hitting coach in baseball that they stole from the Red Sox. If Willie doesn’t want to listen even after batting .223. Good riddance. He obviously is too niave and wants to stay where he is, at the bottom
This is the best reply I have seen on this app, nailed it perfectly!
I read the Athletics’ article and he’s not buying in to the Ranger’s hitting coaches’ philosophy and asking himself for “a change of scenery”. Calhoun sounds like a pretty emotional guy and had some bad breaks with injuries. Rangers should move on from him at this point.
He’d be a stud for the Reds.
Someone wants a return on Josh Hamilton…
So Beggars are trying to be Choosers
What more does he have to prove at AAA. And if he isn’t going to buy into what the rangers want why wouldn’t they deal him? Also who are the beggars? the ranger who have been terrible since their epic 2011 collapse or Calhoun?
I would argue it’s the pathetic rangers.
There’s a few division titles and a few more highly competitive summers in there, but if the last decade is just post pandemic, sure
Epic collapse? You mean getting to two WS unexpected and playing the Cardinals who had a crazy run with the smallest strike zone during the WS? …or how about having no pitching during the Giants and still made it to the WS.
Yes. Blowing that series was EPIC collapse. You don’t have 2 outs in the ninth with a 99% win probability and poop the bed without it being an epic collapse. Don’t forget they also blew it in the 10th too. Haha. Did they even show up for game 7?
But hey. 3 postseason app since without a series win. Keep doing what you’re doing though Daniel’s. If it doesn’t work out there the Reds are always looking for a dumpster fire.
Can’t wait to see in 3 years when the rangers are crying poor and trying to unload Seager and Semien because they have no pitching and can’t actually develop a player. Maybe that’s the issue.
You need to give palmela a break. It clouds with your head
Swap him to CIN for Aquino.
Makes real sense for both teams. Classic change of scenery deal Those sometimes work out.
Willie needs a hitters park to be successful. He can’t get it done in the Big Boy Ballparks. He crushed in the Rangers Tee Ball Park.
The article says he has hit only .223 since 2020, which is not crushing it. And as he is a member of the Texas Rangers, wouldn’t that mean he played the majority of that time in the Rangers tee ball park?
The Rangers changed ballparks.
He doesn’t necessarily need the best hitter’s park, he just needs a park tailored to his game. He is a line drive doubles hitter, so a park with a big OF like KC or Boston would work well for him even though most people do not consider them to be hitter’s parks. Whereas a small OF like Yankee Stadium would be awful for him because he would likely have a lot of flyouts.
Calhoun said he was a line drive doubles hitter but that’s not really who he was at his best in LA. The dude hit 30+ bombs a year when he was in LA’s minor league system.
He hit more HRS than doubles in his final 2 seasons in LA’s system…..
That’s a great argument to let him go back to that swing
And….this is precisely what’s wrong with the attitude in many young sports players. I’m fairly certain he lost a few potential suitors just on his statements alone. Imagine if the guy was guaranteed a long(er) contract?
I do appreciate his reticence to listen to launch angle hyperbole in lieu of line drives though, so at least he appears to have a good foundation…maybe just don’t throw your whole team & its coaches under and demand things in the process.
-Old man
Ha! I do appreciate the laugh, but I’m probably one of the younger ones on here… I have old bones though, you’re probably right.
Well said as always Clipper. I don’t understand the “Old man” reply from Sfgiants dude though. Seems like a good sense analysis to me. But we are around the same age so maybe it is an old man mentality!
Probably the opposite actually. Teams like players who know what they want, how they play, and aren’t perpetually trying out the latest fad. He’s far from the only guy asking for a trade; he just took the unusual step of saying it publicly. Question is whether teams think Calhoun has the talent to hit enough when he provides no defensive value. Someone will I’d guess.
I continue to not have the first bloody idea what the Rangers’ plan is. Two all-star shortstops and almost nothing else of long-term value, and yet their payroll is top 15 in baseball. Here’s a dude who has hit in the past and they’re trying to make him into something he’s not. You can bet he’s not the only one in the organization with questions. They need a new front office.
Calhoun may have harmed his value as a trade chip for the Rangers, but I agree with you that a team (probably multiple teams) will make an offer for Calhoun.
Nelson Cruz for Calhoun! (The Rangers would be crazy to do this deal.)
Opposite? No one wants a spoiled baby who can’t hit even when you have one of the MOST highly respected hitting coaches
Right. Because no player in any sport had ever had ever had issues with the organization they played for until 2010.
Ever.
Calhoun’s biggest problem is that he can’t stay healthy. The Rangers know they won’t get anything more than a lotto ticket or cash if they even wanted to trade him. Unfortunately a player with minor league options isn’t in much of a position to make demands
I don’t follow the Rangers and don’t know much about Calhoun, but if, as this article says, his injuries came from getting hit by pitches, that’s certainly not injury-proneness; it’s just rotten luck. That’s not his fault — it’s the pitchers’ fault.
When a batter is more known for getting hit than actually getting hits, that’s not on the team…
Because players with -1.5 career WAR should be demanding anything.
Passss
We need to start preparing ourselves for preller to trade for him
Does he know he’s batting 130?
Irrelevant. In his mind? he’s HOF material and everything is somebody else’s fault. Seeing this mind set all to often in sports, tho mostly others, yet creeping into MLB today.
There is a certain amount of bravado and delusion that has to be part of a pro athlete’s makeup. They have to believe that they can hit in the bigs, that any set-backs are temporary, and that they’re just a small adjustment away from breaking through. I don’t fault the guy for believing he can make it, but how he went about handling this demotion was childish and self-destructive. I hope he tears it up in AAA and gets another chance, but I also hope he’s got a friend or two who will sit him down and help him deal with all this better.
Right on
I feel sorry for Calhoun, this is way more than a poor player wanting to be traded. I will be a Calhoun fan wherever he goes.
Me too. guy did get a bum rap with the broken jaw and his health. But I didn’t realize he has had so many plate appearances, it is hard to argue that he hasn’t had a fair shot. He should be consistent by now if he was going to be.
So, are you guys saying his attitude is being misrepresented or misinterpreted, or just that you hope he does well despite his interview? I know sometimes the way the story, or comments, are framed or written can certainly alter perspectives, even if unintentionally.
And, BTW, IKF has been great to watch. He’s a gamer, man. Exciting dude with a great attitude!
Yeah IKF is the man, he tries so darn hard on every play. I love watching Seager walk out in Ranger blue so I think it will work out for both of us.
Willie hasen’t always had a very good attitude, I remember him getting demoted when he first came up because he wasen’t very teachable and lacked some hustle. But all reports say he has improved on that front.
I think he is just frustrated, his career has just not worked out and it sucks man. I wish him well, I hope he gets traded to an NL team and gets it figured out. But I am also happy that we have a spot on the roster for one Josh Smith in our very near future 🙂
Yeah true story. I followed him a bit in college and obviously in the Yankees minors system & Smith is going to do well. He can flat-out play, man.
IKF changed his swing in the offseason & now has a unique blended plate approach with a big leg kick early in the game (& early in counts,) & a small toe tap late in both, but he’s been raking. I love watching the small-ball approach. I also thoroughly enjoy good defense, and when he (seldom) makes errors, you can tell it bothers him – he takes it seriously & likes to perform. He’s just a good dude to have.
Trevino is incredible defensively. I always knew he was good, but he amazes me, particularly with his framing. It’s really, really smooth. His blocking is also fun to watch especially after being punished with Sanchez for six years.
He has actually had that leg kick for a long time, it’s what got him to the majors in Texas actually. Well the defense got him to the majors but the leg kick and adding some offense got us to trade Elvis and give him the SS job.
We have no idea what his “attitude” is. The days of “shut up and swing” are over. MLB isn’t that much different from the NBA. It’s just in the NBA the players are public about what they want.
IKF is pure try and hustle, limited talent. He gets the most out of his abilities. He’ll be a coach someday.
This is, and has always been, Calhoun’s attitude. He’s been told he’s God’s Gift from the day he was born, and he believes it. There’s confidence, and then there’s arrogance. Willie is as arrogant as they come. He’s a Hall of Famer, just ask him
Okay, interesting. I know I’d take a guy like IKF that has a great attitude & hustle over a guy with a lot of talent and a bad attitude any day of the week. Had both types of teammates to and it’s obvious which ones we liked playing with more…
at least he says he’s going to work to put himself in a position to be traded rather than just sitting out and demanding one.
On a side note, two of the players traded to the Cubs for Darvish have cracked the top 100 prospect list.
What happened to the other two players the Rangers got from the Dodgers for Darvish? Haven’t heard anything about them.
AJ Alexy made his debut last year and pitched pretty well. He’s currently in Triple-A and will likely be the team’s next call-up, should they need another starter.
He took a massive step forward in the high minors last year and threw really well in the spring. I was hoping he’d get the rotation spot that Spencer Howard ended up getting.
Aj alexy I suspect will be a good reliever or possibly a 4-5 starter. Good stuff, iffy command and mechanics. Brendon Davis exploded out of nowhere last year in the angels system.
Thanks for the updates.
On a side note, after the Cubs needlessly jettisoned Darvish in the midst of an easily winnable NL Central, the Cubs window of contention soon slammed shut, as the small market Cubs were unable to overcome biblical losses incurred during the pandemic.
It’s understandable he’s frustrated and wants to be on a team where he can play, but that’s not how it works. The Rangers still control him and it’s not their responsibility simply to trade him. It is his job to improve and show he has value. If so, he’ll eventually get his shot with either the Rangers or another team.
Yeah, like possibly the Juarez Jalapeños…?
What he’s saying is if he gets called up again, it’s probably not going to work out with the manager’s and coaches’ approach with him. He’s frustrated yet sincere about the situation and spoke with management prior to this interview. Not the old days anymore where you shut up and put up and wait (again) for the call.
I don’t mind players speaking their truth. If he disagrees with the hitting instructor that’s fine. Trevor Bauer publicly clashed with his pitching coaches for years and became a Cy Young winner. Coaching shouldn’t be a top-down authoritarian type system, especially at the MLB level. Coaches and players *should be working together*. Ultimately part of coaching is getting players to buy in and knowing how to get whatever advice you have to land.
And who knows, maybe Calhoun is right about him not being that kind of hitter. The guardians have bet pretty exclusively on contact, line-drive hitters recently and all their young players who fit that are doing well (Kwan, Gimenez, Miller, Palacios) while their fence swinging guys are not (Bradley just DFA’d, Reyes in a dreadful slump).
Right or wrong though, I think players should be able to say no to a coach without getting the pushback of being labeled “uncooperative” or “stubborn”.
When you’re using Trevor “Sticky Stuff” Bauer as your example of players knowing their game better than the coaches; keep in mind hitting girls isn’t the only reason the Dodgers want out of that contract.
Calhoun’s platoon split will always limit him. So when he stopped hitting home runs, alongside the failure to hit for a consistently average with his line-drives plan, Calhoun really put himself in a bind. I don’t think he’s got a good future if he doesn’t make some serious overhauls. Good luck to him though.
Hitting .223 and thinks a change of scenery will fix his issues? Uh, huh.
Let him go, dont need that kind of negativity in the minors either, it’ll spread. Many wondered (myself included) why he was the centerpiece of that trade to begin with and he sure hasnt done a single thing to prove anybody wrong. One of many terrible trades by the rangers over the last handful of years. Gibson trade last year was a complete joke
Not every hitter is a three-true-outcomes hitter, and trying to make them one can be a mistake. It goes for pitchers as well. Maybe a change of scenery really would make a difference.
My thoughts exactly. Not all ball players need to fit the same mold. Especially if hitting coaches are trying to change stuff that worked.
Exactly. Sean Burroughs for example. He looked like a potential perennial .300 hitter until the Padres made him pull happy.
Bingo. This is the big problem with baseball now. They have tried to make it a video game. Strike outs and home runs. To dumb it down to the lowest common denominator. That’s it. So you have pitchers with zero control and all they can do is throw hard. Then you have guys that all they can do is try and hit home runs. That’s the big problem this year. MLB changed the ball and many of these players only know how to launch the ball. They don’t know how to hit line drives or hit one the opposite way for a double. Look at the Braves so far.
Part of the issue is the MLB had encouraged this for years then decided to kill the ball. Watching the dodgers and DBacks last week was just painful with 100 mph+ 28 degree balls dying in a park that they normally flew out of.
Then there’s Miguel Andujar who batted .400 with an .800 OPS when they brought him up, going two for four today and scoring a run in today’s win; and Clarke Schmidt who got the win today and pitched to a 1.08 ERA and 0.96 WHIP this year — and both got sent down after today’s game.
If anyone has a right to feel bad about a demotion, they do.
‘Schmidt said he’s learned a lot the past month.
‘“It’s a real tough pill to swallow,” he said. “It’s just tough. There’s no easy way to put it. I’ve been throwing well, I’ve been feeling well, comfortable and doing my job getting guys out.”
‘Schmidt added, “Nothing makes it easier. However you can take it, however helps you sleep at night is how you’ve got to take it.”’
Andujar, especially, could feel justified in asking for a trade — but, nope — he just keeps doing everything they ask and hoping for a chance. He’s a guy who bested DiMaggio’s rookie record in doubles and came in second in the ROY vote. He just keeps his head down and keeps working. In the long run, that might be smarter than raising a stink if you want another team to trade for you.
They probably want more consistent innings for Schmidt. He has been awesome, but the rotation has been consistent and healthy. It is certainly not performance related at all
When Schmidt entered the game yesterday, I had a couple of thoughts. First, hopefully he’ll be good and not rusty as his usage has decreased. He hadn’t pitched in over 10 days and only once since mid-April. Second, you’re about to be sent down in a matter of hours. The two thoughts were related. Some pitcher (if not two) was going to be sent down. Schmidt made the roster as one of the extra arms allowed in April. He was used regularly the first couple weeks, sparingly the last two weeks. He did his job, guaranteeing he’ll be called back.
Clarke he has starter stuff. He’s good. Mid-rotation quality. His issue has been health. My guess is the Yankees begin to stretch him out with a couple AAA starts. The Yankees have a couple of off days over the next week, then they don’t have another in almost three weeks until the end of May. I’d expect them to move to a six-man rotation during that stretch, with Schmidt getting recalled. He’ll then be returned to Scranton waiting the next call. Schmidt needs to show the Yankees he can stay healthy and effective. If he can, they’ll up his role in 2023. Of course, there is a chance he’ll be included in a package to acquire Montas!
Probably another Preller target acquisition. I could see Lamet for Calhoun maybe.
Swap him for Beaty
At least Beaty has shown a bit of offensive value…
Would be a nice target for Cincinnati.
Why do people make a big fuss every time a baseball player wants to be traded? In every other sport it’s perfectly fine for a player who doesn’t want to be part of a team to ask for a trade.
Well the last time Willie got demoted he threw a two year old temper tantrum…seriously but i somewhat see your point just depends on the situation
Because it’s made public. If you want a trade, you tell your agent. If you want the organization (and yourself) to look bad, you air your dirty laundry in the media.
Frankly, given the different cultures and greater emphasis on saving face there, he’s even hurting his chances of eventually landing a contract in the KBO or Japan, which is probably his best bet.
I guarantee his agent didn’t tell him to take his grievances to the press.
Yeah at least this trade demand is related to his loss of confidence in the instruction of his coaches and concern this will affect his ability to reform. Unlike say the grandstanding nature of players in the NBA wanting simply to join their friends on a superteam
I like that he thinks he has trade value after not hitting in parts of 6 major league seasons.and providing =1.5 WAR in 927 plate appearances
Instead of complaining and requesting a trade, go down there and learn from your mistakes and put yourself in a position that they want to bring you back. Stop being a Joey Gallo, who can’t make adjustments and adjust.
May we interest you in one lightly used Eric Hosmer?
He really wouldn’t have a role in Texas. Nathaniel Lowe is playing well and is infinitely cheaper. I saw that Hosmer is actually hitting some this year though so he might recoup a little trade value.
Can’t get traded if nobody wants you.
owners, in all sports, should stop caving in to disgruntled players, regardless of issues with team, coaches, contracts they signed, or from office.
Launch angle is not for everyone and Calhoun has some hit tool albeit he hasn’t always shown it, but he is a DH/emergency outfielder, doesn’t hit for much power and doesn’t walk much.
The league just doesn’t love DHs who hit 275/330 with 15 bombs much anymore, DH is a power position.
If he was an elite OBP guy maybe being a doubles guys who hits 15 bombs by accident would play but if you are only an average OPB guy you need a bit more pop to cut it at DH.
If calhoun wants to have an mlb career he either needs to be a .360+ opb guy or a 25+ homer guy.if he is a 330 obp guy with 15 homers he needs to be a credible defender at a position
Profar never did anything in Texas until he got traded. Who knows, maybe the same for Calhoun.
Since when did Profar start doing something?
Wow, so a very unprofessional attitude and understanding, a narcissistic viewpoint and more than likely a toxic presence in the clubhouse when things don’t go his way. Who wouldn’t want him on their team???
Someone should give Willie a book on leverage for those long bus rides in AAA.
Leverage by L. Ron Hubbard
How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie.
Calhoun for Lamet. Let’s do it!
Calhoun for Hosmer and 8 trillion $…
This organization rather play retreads like Kole Calhoun and Brad Miller than give the younger guys a chance .. I mean for F sake u traded Darvish for this guy
I don’t like when players do this crap. It wouldn’t shock me if the rangers just hold him in the minors as long as possible, effectively ending his baseball career at his age. Might be more challenging to do that I’m giving it credit for, but this type of attitude in basketball has absolutely ruined the sport. No room for it in baseball. Do this behind closed doors, don’t make it public.
I can emphasize with his frustration but the reality is the top prospect potential currency is all used up. His upside is a bench player on a good team. He’s lucky he got his first guaranteed MLB deal. I’m not sure that encouraging a release or non tender is in his best interest.
Calhoun is a perfect example of someone who has no self-awareness. He’ll stink up AAA too and blame everyone else.
Willie for Bradley Zimmer.
Zimmer is terrible too
Zimmer, while being awful at the plate has served his purpose which is to get Springer as much rest in CF as possible. Zimmer has started 8 of Toronto’s 23 games in CF. Calhoun doesn’t play CF and neither do any of the Jays other Outfielders really so Zimmer probably stays til a better option comes around
“This isn’t the NBA”
“This isn’t the NFL”
I remember when you could say that about MLB and the NCAA. Now it’s all the same—entitled, immature, kids who have had everything handed to them and grow up dictating the world around them. When things don’t go their way in their world, they just create a new “world” instead of taking responsibility.
“Forgive my student loans. You know, the ones I signed up for.”
“Pay me more money and give me more time off.”
And I can’t wait to hear the responses about me being “old” or “get off my lawn”—those responses come from the same crowd. Time to grow up, world.
Okay, but in this case, this is a guy fighting for his career. This is not unlike some bright kid coming out of college, looking to slay the world, and then being given crap work.
I’m not sure if going public was exactly the right move, but if I were him, I’d ask to be traded to any pro team so I could play myself back into contention. He probably has three years to make some serious money, and then it’s back to real life.
This is about a guy not performing at the plate and not wanting to go down to the minors to work on his approach. If he feels he has nothing to prove in the minors he’s entitled to that opinion but the reality is he’s proven nothing in the Majors either.
But this guy has performed at all levels when healthy.
I’ll just grab a couple of big red flags and wave them above my head.
The man needs a new PR person.
South Korea it is then
Trade the cancer. Cincinnati will take him
Dude with a career OPS+ of 86 has demands. Par for this time’s course.
Please JD/CY get rid of the other Calhoun too
If he wanted to be traded he probably should’ve asked before he started hitting .136
Urena just dfa by brewers .pick him up potentially a sp rangers could use.wasnt that bad a couple of years ago with Miami.
Kudos to Calhoun for saying “I don’t agree with some of the hitting philosophies from the new guys. I don’t process that (information) too well. I’m not 6-4, 230 pounds; I can’t hit pop-up home runs. I don’t have that leverage.”
Rangers manager Chris Woodward (said) the team wanted Calhoun “to work a little bit more vertical with his swing,” but Calhoun said this clashed with his ideal approach as the “line-drive, doubles guy” he was … in the Dodgers farm system.
In other words, the organization wants Calhoun to swing with steeper launch angles, and he’s saying “No, that’s not the way I hit.”
There are many MLB players for whom steep launch angles just result in easy outs. Good for Calhoun for speaking out against a hitting approach that he knows isn’t right for him. More players should stand up for themselves and follow his lead.
He did not hit with other hitting coaches last 2 years.maybe he ought to get through his thick skull his way isn’t working
@dale123:
Steep launch angles simply aren’t appropriate for most hitters. They result in a few more home runs at the expense of more easy fly ball outs, more weak ground ball outs, and more strikeouts.
And no need to insult Calhoun with your “thick skull” remark. At 5’8″ & 200 lbs. he knows steep launch angles aren’t right for him.
He’s proven he can hit with his more-level swing. He’s put up some exceptional offensive numbers in AAA, and in 2019 with the MLB Rangers he hit 21 HR and 14 2B in just 309 AB, with a .524 SLG and .848 OPS.
The guy obviously knows how to hit … they shouldn’t mess with his swing.
Oops didn’t realize you guys just posted the same thing. +1 on your comments. Lot of teams could benefit from a more contact centric, hit the ball in the gaps approach. Red Sox, Rockies, White Sox to mame a few….
Love Calhouns outlook. More than just a PT issue. Case where the team is messing with his head and skill set. Hell yeah if the coaches are trying to dissuade him from contact in favor of 3 outcomes, demand a trade. Plenty of teams could stand to benefit from his approach.
This basically validates the rumblings about him while he was in the Dodgers system – uncoachable, and difficult to deal with. I wasn’t too unhappy to see him get traded away.
Unfortunately for him, there isn’t much of a market for hit-only guys who don’t actually hit.
The Rangers biggest problem is Woodward. He is a moron and should not be anywhere near mlb level. He can’t motivate the players, his lineups suck and he doesn’t show emotion during the game at all. They need to bring a leader into the clubhouse and get rid of this loser
Or… play better, get results and EARN your opportunity. Maybe Willie needs to start being more accountable and realize this is a results-oriented business…