Willie Shawn Lamont Calhoun (born November 4, 1994) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

who is currently a free agent. He played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

and

Yavapai College Yavapai College is a public community college in Yavapai County, Arizona. The main campus is in Prescott, with locations in Clarkdale, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley and Sedona. History Yavapai College was established in 1965 by means of a c ...

. The

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

selected Calhoun in the fourth round of the

2015 MLB draft Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album ...

. He made his MLB debut with the Texas Rangers in 2017, and played with them until 2022 where he played with the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

Early life

Willie Calhoun is named for his father, a corrections officer at

San Quentin State Prison San Quentin State Prison (SQ) is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated place of San Quentin in Marin County. Opened in July 1852, San Quentin is the ...

. His mother is Monica. He has a younger sister and a younger brother.

High school

Calhoun attended

Benicia High School Benicia High School is a public high school serving approximately 1,700 students, grades nine through twelve. It is part of the Benicia Unified School District. It is located in Benicia, California, in the North Bay sub-region of the San Franc ...

Benicia, California Benicia ( , ) is a waterside city in Solano County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It served as the capital of California for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. The population was 26,997 at the ...

, where in three years of baseball as an

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

he batted .435/.513/.736 with 11

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 82 RBIs in 262

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

s. He was named 2012 and 2013 Sac Joaquin All-Section, named a top-150 national prospect by Perfect Game, 2013 third team Rawlings/Perfect Game Preseason All-America, Rawlings/Perfect Game California Region First Team,

Solano County Solano County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 453,491. The county seat is Fairfield. Solano County comprises the Vallejo–Fairfield, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is ...

Athletic Conference co-MVP, and to the

New Balance New Balance Athletics, Inc. (NB), best known as simply New Balance, is one of the world's major sports footwear and apparel manufacturers. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the multinational corporation was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch ...

All-Area Code team. The

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

selected him in the 17th round of the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

, but he did not sign with the Rays. Instead, Calhoun honored his commitment to play

for the

Arizona Wildcats The Arizona Wildcats are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, Tucson. The Wildcats compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Divis ...

College

Calhoun struggled in his lone season at the

, batted .247/.345/.301 in 146 at bats playing

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

, lost his spot on the team, and considered quitting the sport altogether. In 2014, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fie ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

. In 2015, he transferred to

, a

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...

. With them, he batted .432/.520/.952 with 31 home runs and 85 RBIs in 227 at bats. His 31 home runs were the most by a junior college player since

Bryce Harper Bryce Aron Max Harper (born October 16, 1992) is an American professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). Prior to his arrival in Philadelphia, Harper played for the Wash ...

also hit 31, at the

College of Southern Nevada The College of Southern Nevada (CSN) is a public community college in Clark County, Nevada. The college has more than 2,500 teaching and non-teaching staff and is the largest public college or university in Nevada. It is part of the Nevada Syst ...

in 2010. Calhoun signed with

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

out of junior college.

Professional career

Los Angeles Dodgers

The

selected Calhoun in the fourth round of the

. He signed with the Dodgers for a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

above $340,000, rather than transfer to Kansas State, and made his professional debut with the

Ogden Raptors The Ogden Raptors are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Ogden, Utah and play their home games at Lindquist Field. Pitche ...

(with whom he was a Pioneer League mid-season All Star) and was later promoted to the

Great Lakes Loons The Great Lakes Loons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Midland, Michigan, and play their home games at Dow Diamond, which opened in April 2007. Histor ...

and

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and play their home games at LoanMart Field. The franc ...

. In 73 games between the three levels, he hit .316/.390/.519 with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs, as he played second base. To start the 2016 season, Calhoun was promoted to the Double-A

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

of the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

. He was selected as a starter for the mid-season Texas League All-Star game, and was also named a Texas League post-season All Star, and selected to the U.S. team for the

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...

. In 503 at bats over 132 games for the Drillers, he hit .255/.318/.469 with 75 runs (2nd in the

), 27 homers (2nd), 45 walks (8th), and 88 RBIs (1st). At the conclusion of the season, he was also named to the post-season all-star team, and an MiLB.com Organizational All-Star. After the season, the Dodgers assigned Calhoun to the

Glendale Desert Dogs The Glendale Desert Dogs are a baseball team that plays in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. The ballpark is also the spring training facility of the Chicago White ...

of the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fill ...

. He earned MVP honors in the Fall Stars Game for top prospects playing in the league when he went 3-for-3 with a homer in the game. Calhoun was promoted to the Triple-A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Bal ...

to begin the 2017 season and played well enough to be named the second baseman for the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

mid-season and post-season all-star teams. In 2017 with the team he batted .298/.358/.574.

Texas Rangers

2017-18

On July 31, 2017, Calhoun was traded to the Texas Rangers (along with fellow minor leaguers

A. J. Alexy Adam John Alexy (born April 21, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021 with the Texas Rangers. Amateur career Alexy attended Twin Valley Hi ...

and

Brendon Davis Brendon Davis (born July 28, 1997) is an American professional baseball infielder and outfielder in the Detroit Tigers organization. Amateur career Davis attended Lakewood High School in Lakewood, California. He committed to Cal State Fullerto ...

) in exchange for

Yu Darvish , more commonly known as Yu Darvish (ダルビッシュ有), is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). Darvish has also played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and ...

. With Round Rock he batted .310/.345/.566. Between the two teams in the

(where he entered the season as the 9th-youngest player) he batted .300/.355/.572 with 80 runs (7th in the league), 31 home runs (2nd), and 93 RBIs (2nd) in 486 at bats, and was the 9th-toughest batter to strike out, averaging a strikeout every 8.0 at bats. He was named to the Pacific Coast League Postseason All-Star Team, the Yahoo! Sports All-Minor League Team, and ''Baseball Americas Minor League All-Star Second Team. He was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on September 12, 2017. Calhoun hit .265/.324/.353 with a home run and four RBIs for the Rangers in 13 games in 2017, playing 11 games in left field, one at DH, and one as a pinch hitter. Pre-2018, he was rated the #36 prospect in baseball by ''Baseball America'', #43 by

Baseball Prospectus Baseball Prospectus (BP) is an organization that publishes a website, BaseballProspectus.com, devoted to the sabermetric analysis of baseball. BP has a staff of regular columnists and provides advanced statistics as well as player and team perf ...

, and #53 by Major League Baseball. In 2018, Calhoun hit .222/.269/.333 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in 35 major league games, playing 26 games in left field, nine as a pinch hitter, and one as a DH. In 108 games with the Triple-A

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

, he hit .294/.351/.431 with nine home runs and 47 RBIs.

2019

He came to 2019 spring training 25 pounds lighter. The Rangers optioned Calhoun to the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

to open the season. On May 15, he was recalled to replace the injured

Elvis Andrus Elvis Augusto Andrus Torres (born August 26, 1988) is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball shortstop who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox. Ente ...

, making his season debut the same day. In the midst of batting .435/.458/.739, he was placed on the 10-day IL on May 22 with a strained left

quadriceps The quadriceps femoris muscle (, also called the quadriceps extensor, quadriceps or quads) is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. It is the sole extensor muscle of the knee, forming a large ...

. He was reactivated from the IL on June 17, but was optioned back to Triple-A Nashville on July 16 after hitting .225/.267/.408 in a second stint in order to clear a spot for All-Star OF/DH

Hunter Pence Hunter Andrew Pence (born April 13, 1983), nicknamed "The Reverend", is an American former professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, San F ...

on the roster. On July 25, he was recalled to replace the injured

Joey Gallo Joseph Nicholas Gallo (born November 19, 1993) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Do ...

, and he played with the Rangers for the remainder of the season. Calhoun finished the 2019 MLB season batting .269/.323/.524 with 51 runs, 21 home runs, and 48 RBIs in 83 games. He played 71 games in left field, seven games at DH, and five games as a pinch hitter.

2020

On March 8, 2020, during a spring training game against the

, Calhoun was struck on the right side of his face by a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...

by lefthander

Julio Urías Julio César Urías Acosta (born August 12, 1996), nicknamed "El Culichi", is a Mexican professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Dodgers signed him in 2012, and he made his MLB debut in 2016. ...

. The impact fractured and displaced Calhoun's jaw, and he was air-lifted by helicopter to a hospital. Calhoun had worn a face shield on his batting helmet previously, but stopped during the prior season. He underwent surgery for a non-displaced fracture in his jaw to insert a plate and stabilize his jaw the next day. In 100 at bats over 29 games in the 2020 season, Calhoun hit .190/.232/.260 with one home run and 13 RBIs. His .491

OPS In ancient Roman religion, Ops or ''Opis'' (Latin: "Plenty") was a fertility deity and earth goddess of Sabine origin. Her equivalent in Greek mythology was Rhea. Iconography In Ops' statues and coins, she is figured sitting down, as Chthon ...

was 2nd-lowest in MLB (min. 100 AB). He played 21 games at DH, six games in left field, and three games as a pinch hitter.

2021

On June 26, 2021, Calhoun suffered a fractured forearm after he was hit by a pitch from

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

left-handed pitcher

Kris Bubic Kristofer Bubic (born August 19, 1997) is an American baseball, professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Amateur career Bubic attended Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, California, where he ...

. He underwent surgery to repair a fracture in his left

ulna The ulna (''pl''. ulnae or ulnas) is a long bone found in the forearm that stretches from the elbow to the smallest finger, and when in anatomical position, is found on the medial side of the forearm. That is, the ulna is on the same side of t ...

, and was placed on the injured list. Calhoun finished the 2021 season hitting .250/.310/.381 with six home runs and 25 RBIs over 284 at bats in 75 games played, playing left field. He played 40 games as a left fielder, 29 games as a DH, and seven games as a pinch hitter. He was one of only 11 major leaguers listed at 5 foot 8 or shorter who were playing regularly.

2022

On March 22, 2022, Calhoun signed a $1.3 million contract with the Rangers, avoiding salary arbitration. After he began the 2022 season with a .136 batting average in 44 at bats, as he played 12 games as a DH, five games in left field, and five games as a pinch hitter, the Rangers optioned Calhoun to Round Rock. In response, Calhoun requested a trade from the Rangers. On June 5, Calhoun was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

. Calhoun went unclaimed on waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Round Rock. With Round Rock he batted .217/.264/.410 with 5 home runs and 20 RBIs in 83 at bats, playing 12 games in left field and 9 games at DH.

San Francisco Giants

On June 23, 2022, the Rangers traded Calhoun and cash considerations to the

for outfielder

Steven Duggar Steven Michael Duggar (born November 4, 1993), nicknamed Duggy, is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Texas ...

. On September 18, Calhoun was designated for assignment. On October 12, Calhoun elected free agency.

References

External links

Arizona Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calhoun, Willie 1994 births Living people African-American baseball players Sportspeople from Vallejo, California Baseball players from California Major League Baseball outfielders Texas Rangers players San Francisco Giants players Arizona Wildcats baseball players Wareham Gatemen players Yavapai Roughriders baseball players Ogden Raptors players Great Lakes Loons players Tulsa Drillers players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Glendale Desert Dogs players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Round Rock Express players Nashville Sounds players Arizona Complex League Rangers players Sacramento River Cats players Twitch (service) streamers 21st-century African-American sportspeople