Veteran posted career highs in slugging percentage and OPS with Arizona in 2020
Arlington, Texas — The Texas Rangers tonight announced that the club has agreed to terms with outfielder Kole Calhoun to a one-year contract for the 2022 season with a club option for the 2023 campaign.
“Kole plays with an energy that our fans and players will feed off of,” said Rangers President of Baseball Operations Jon Daniels. “He’s been a highly productive player on both sides of the ball. Equally importantly, his style of play and reputation as a great teammate will help set the standard as we continue to grow our culture.”
“We believe Kole will bring an outstanding veteran presence and example for our young players,” commented Rangers Executive Vice President and General Manager Chris Young. “He has worked hard for everything he’s achieved in his career and his daily effort is a model for everyone surrounding our club.”
Calhoun, 34, has spent the past two seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks after eight years with the Los Angeles Angels. He batted .235 with 5 home runs and 17 RBI over 51 games with Arizona in 2021, missing time on the Injured List for left hamstring injuries both April 28-July 9 and August 12-September 16. He is one year removed from posting a career-best 130 OPS+ with Arizona in 2020, a season in which he ranked 21st among National League qualifiers with an .864 OPS figure.
A Gold Glove Award winner in 2015 with the Angels, Calhoun is a five-time finalist for the honors in right field (2015, 2017-20). His 48 outfield assists since the start of the 2015 season are tied for sixth-most in MLB over that span. Since the start of 2019, Calhoun ranks tied for 16th among MLB outfielders in Ultimate Zone Rating (11.5), as his 11.0 UZR as a rightfielder is the sixth-highest mark among defenders at the position over that same span.
Calhoun was one of just 17 MLB players from 2014-20 to produce at least 145 home runs, 450 RBI, and 165 doubles, a span in which he appeared in over 91 percent of his team’s games (941 of 1032 games). He owns a career slash line of .294/.349/.480/.829 (73-248) with 10 home runs and 44 RBI in Arlington, his most RBI in any road city.
A Phoenix-area native, Calhoun finished his collegiate career at Arizona State University before being selected by the Angels in the eighth round of the 2010 MLB Draft. He has a career .248 batting average with 161 home runs and 508 RBI over 1071 games with Los Angeles-AL (2012-19) and Arizona (2020-21).
