Rangers' Calhoun joining 'The Show'
A season that began for Willie Calhoun in Oklahoma City as a Dodgers prospect then went through Round Rock with his new organization apparently will end in Arlington, Texas.
A season that began for
The second-ranked Rangers prospect indicated on Twitter on Monday that he's been bumped up from Triple-A Round Rock one week after he put the finishing touches on his finest all-around season yet. The key piece in the four-player trade that sent All-Star Yu Darvish to Los Angeles, Calhoun will join Texas at home in the middle of its series with Seattle.
Drafted in the fourth round by the Dodgers in 2015, the 21-year-old outfielder recorded a strong professional debut that season before breaking out in 2016. Calhoun followed up his 27-homer, 88-RBI performance last year by hitting .300/.355/.572 and setting numerous career bests offensively, including home runs (31), RBIs (93) and runs scored (80).
He capped off his big year with a two-homer, eight-RBI performance that included a walk-off grand slam against his former club on the penultimate day of the season. At the time, MLB.com's No. 64 overall prospect was under the assumption his Major League debut would have to wait until at least 2018.
"It's frustrating to think of how good of a year I'm having and not get rewarded with a callup," Calhoun told MiLB.com recently. "But it's a business and it's something I have to get over. Yes, it's a tough pill to swallow, but it's also out of my control. I did everything I could to put myself in the right position, but everything happens for a reason."
It appears the Rangers have changed their minds about the California native, who earned a spot on his season consecutive postseason All-Star team in the Pacific Coast League.
Calhoun will join a Rangers club that sits in third place in the American League West with a 72-71 record.
Michael Avallone is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @MavalloneMiLB.