ANAHEIM, CA -- Back in March, Angels' outfielder Kole Calhoun was a seeming lock to make the final 25-man roster. In fact, the coaching staff was going as far as trying to figure out what role Calhoun would have with the major league club.
There was talk he would split time with Peter Bourjos in centerfield, or just take over as the utility outfielder/pinch hitter. The kid from Buckeye, Arizona was on the verge of realizing his dream.
Until a nightmare interrupted.
Calhoun had a dreadful spring, hitting a measly .174 and playing himself right onto the Salt Lake City Bees roster.
"Yeah, I had a pretty bad spring, and I'm the guy responsible for me ending up at Triple A," said the 25-year-old. "It turned out to be the right thing at the right time, because I still had a lot of things to work on, and I was able to do that in (the minors)."
Not before he had another setback in the form of a broken hamate bone in his right hand. He had surgery and missed six weeks, but when he returned it was apparent that he had taken the time to assess his poor spring and make the appropriate changes.
"Kole shortened his swing," manager Mike Scioscia said, "and he became a much more controlled hitter. He became a better situational hitter as well. And he's got the power to make him a dangerous all-around hitter."
And Calhoun deserves a lot of credit for not moping because he was demoted, then hurt. Instead, he took the time to redefine his game and become a legitimate major leaguer.
Calhoun Joined The Joe McDonnell Podcast (Click here to listen) to talk about his up, down then up again season and many other Halo-centric topics.
