Fansided

One prospect each MLB team should call up right now

By Joshua Sadlock

MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 27: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays reacts after hitting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during the MLB preseason game at Olympic Stadium on March 27, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 27: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays reacts after hitting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during the MLB preseason game at Olympic Stadium on March 27, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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SURPRISE, AZ – MARCH 05: Willie Calhoun #5 of the Texas Rangers bats against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of the spring training game at Surprise Stadium on March 5, 2018 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
SURPRISE, AZ – MARCH 05: Willie Calhoun #5 of the Texas Rangers bats against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of the spring training game at Surprise Stadium on March 5, 2018 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Texas Rangers: Willie Calhoun

It has been a disastrous year for the Texas Rangers, and they are going to miss the playoffs for the second year in a row. For the front office, it is definitely time to re-evaluate things and consider the fact that the team’s window of contention is slamming shut very quickly. That 45-year-old Bartolo Colon leads the Rangers in WAR tells you everything you need to know.

The Rangers lead the league in strikeouts and are 13th in the AL in OPS. For years, Texas has had to put up runs in bunches to have a shot at winning, and if that’s not happening, they’re likely to finish in last place.

Another step in the rebuild will come at the deadline this year when Cole Hamels and Colon can be shopped for prospects. Yu Darvish netted a moderate return as a rental last year, including second baseman/left fielder Willie Calhoun. The 23-year-old has played left field exclusively since the trade.

Calhoun is not known for his defense, but offers surprising power from his 5-foot-8 frame. He also has knack for making contact and limiting his strikeouts. Think Howie Kendrick but with more pop. Calhoun should be worked into the MLB lineup this season and already looks set to hit close to .300 with 20-plus home runs for years to come.

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