Calhoun vs. the big 4 OF

[Hamilton Noji]

if calhoun was a free agent this year along with heyward, cespedes, upton and gordon how would you rank him? what would be an appropriate amount of money for his services?

[halosfan1970]

5/90

[Chris]

he would probably be next in line after Gordon

[gotbeer]

Probably in the next set of free agents, Fowler, Parra, etc.  Not in the top 4. 

[Troutstanding]

It's hard to say since he's only had two full seasons... But with his age, upside, high floor, defensive ability, the fact that he's ginger... I'd say something like 5/100. 

[Mark68]

His gingerness is worth at least $10 million.

[AngelsLakersFan]

Hard to say because he doesn't have the track record of a typical free agent. 

 

If he had snuck two seasons like his last two in between 2013 and 2014 then I would expect him to get paid somewhere in between Gordon and Upton. He hasn't been as good as either, but he is the same age as Upton so he has that going for him. 

 

The Angels have him for another 4 years, so he will need to keep this up in order to grab a deal even close to whatever Gordon gets this offseason (Gordon has been a lot better).

 

If he was a free agent today he'd get a big boost for being 28, but he'd also be weighed down by his lack of long term track record and has lack of pedigree. A late bloomer is always in question until after the fact. I'd expect him to get offered about a 5 year deal for $80-100m. I could see him looking for a 4 year $80m deal or a longer 7 year $110 deal. 

[nikkachez]

He might jump up in the rankings because of his current age. 

[nate]

Actually, Kole has pretty comparable numbers to the rest of the list.  When you consider park factor his OPS+ is better than Span/Fowler by a good amount.

 

[halomatt]

Actually, Kole has pretty comparable numbers to the rest of the list.  When you consider park factor his OPS+ is better than Span/Fowler by a good amount.

 

His OPS+ is comparable to Heyward, huh?  Wonder what the difference is in the other measures of defense and baserunning.  Heyward is supposed to rank highly in those areas.  

[nate]

Just using last season where both won a GG.  Jason Heyward had a 2.0 dWar according to baseball reference.  Calhoun had a round 0.

[tdawg87]

His OPS+ is comparable to Heyward, huh?  Wonder what the difference is in the other measures of defense and baserunning.  Heyward is supposed to rank highly in those areas.  

 

Since 2012, Heyward has 89 Defensive Runs Saved in RF (more than any other right fielder). Calhoun has 4.

 

Defensive metrics are flawed, but by every account Heyward is absolutely ridiculous defensively. Calhoun is merely very good.

 

As for baserunning, Kole doesn't really steal much, whereas Heyward is close to a lock for 20 steals a year. But that doesn't mean he's a better baserunner per se, just better at stealing bags.

[Angel Oracle]

I don't think some understand how much Heyward's defense could mean in Chicago.

They are pretty much mediocre defensively in the OF, pre-Heyward.  

With their offense, he was basically the perfect signing.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Angel Oracle

[arch stanton]

But will Heyward be as valuable defensively in CF? If they plan to surround him with Schwarber and Soler they better hope so.

[ukyah]

kole's lack of obp would hurt him, a lot.

[nate]

His power actually makes up for it quite a bit.  That is why his OPS+ is up there.  He is definitely more of a #6 hitter than a leadoff or #2 hitter based on his OBP though.

[halomatt]

Since 2012, Heyward has 89 Defensive Runs Saved in RF (more than any other right fielder). Calhoun has 4.

 

Defensive metrics are flawed, but by every account Heyward is absolutely ridiculous defensively. Calhoun is merely very good.

 

As for baserunning, Kole doesn't really steal much, whereas Heyward is close to a lock for 20 steals a year. But that doesn't mean he's a better baserunner per se, just better at stealing bags.

Thanks for the information. Heyward seems like a fantastic defensive player and baserunner.  Probably well worth the money he got. 

[halomatt]

But will Heyward be as valuable defensively in CF? If they plan to surround him with Schwarber and Soler they better hope so.

I'd seen a tweet that suggested the outfield in Chicago was one of the smaller ones in baseball.  The idea being that there would be less ground for him to cover with the two stiffs flanking him.