Texas Rangers: Which member of the 25-and-under club has the highest ceiling?

Willie Calhoun

Calhoun ranked as the Texas Rangers’ #2 prospect just over a year ago. He was seen as left-handed bat with good pop and the ability to hit for a high average. Those observations have been justified at the Triple-A level.

Between the Oklahoma City Dodgers and Round Rock Express in 2017, Calhoun carried a slash line of .300/.355/.572, hit 31 home runs and posted a .927 OPS. He played 108 games with Round Rock last season and slashed .294/.351/.431 with 9 home runs.

For whatever reason, his success has not translated to the major leagues in any capacity. Calhoun stepped to the plate 108 times with the Rangers in 2018; he hit .222 and reached base just 27% of the time.

Frankly, his stock has only gone down since he was acquired by the Rangers in the Yu Darvish trade. There is still plenty of time for the 24-year-old to figure it out in the big leagues, but Texas doesn’t have the space for wish-washy performances. Calhoun isn’t good enough at any defensive position to make an impact; therefore, he MUST hit. He has not hit well with the Rangers thus far.

Willie Calhoun is the least promising member of the young core. He has yet to prove capable at the MLB level, while the other members have.