The Yankees still haven’t signed a left fielder, but have signed a ton of notable minor league free agents and one small trade. For most teams, these signings wouldn’t be worth a second thought. Most minor league free agents are brought in to fill out an organization’s Triple-A team and maybe play a few games in an emergency. However, we’re all familiar with Brian Cashman’s skills at the bargain bin. Willie Calhoun sure looks like a potential Luke Voit.
Calhoun is a former notable prospect with the Texas Rangers. At one point in time, Calhoun looked like their next designated hitter. He hit .300/.355/.572 at Triple-A as a 21 year-old and was the big return for the Rangers when they traded away Yu Darvish. He’s an intriguing player because he hits the ball hard and is a superb contact hitter (12.9% strikeout rate in 2022). Other than a cup of coffee with the Giants organization during the second half of 2022, Calhoun has been a Ranger throughout his 20s.
Calhoun sure looks a lot like Luke Voit. They both dominated Triple-A as a hitter, are poor defensive players, and have an intriguing offensive profile. Voit was 27 when the Yankees acquired him; Calhoun is 28. The Rangers are far from a dumb baseball organization, but I’d bet the Yankees can offer Calhoun some better coaching.
Then there’s the shift. Calhoun is a slow, high contact, hard-hitting left handed hitter. Check out this spray chart from 2019, the last year he was good in the majors:
That sure looks intriguing in Yankee Stadium. The Yankees need more left-handed power, and Calhoun has demonstrated a short porch swing.
Could he find a place on the Yankee bench? My guess is probably not without an injury or trade. Calhoun is a slow, bad outfielder. He has some infield experience at second base, but I can’t imagine he’s any good there. He might be able to fake it at first base if they focus on teaching the position in Spring Training, but he’s probably just a DH. His bat might be useful off the bench, but it’s hard to see the Yankees carrying a DH-only bat. However, an injury to Giancarlo Stanton or Anthony Rizzo could open up a spot for him.
One final thought: I wonder if players like Calhoun actively seek out the Yankees these days. I’m sure a lot of teams offered him an invitation to Spring Training, many with fewer players blocking him. He saw what they did for Gio Urshela and Luke Voit. Calhoun’s future is probably playing in Mexico or Korea, but maybe the Yankees can teach him something the Rangers couldn’t and put his career back on track. Calhoun is talented as hell with the bat. Hard hitting contact left-handed hitters don’t grow on trees. Keep an eye on Calhoun.