The Los Angeles Dodgers farm system was put to the test this season as the team placed an MLB-record 28 different players on the disabled list. The “next man up” mentality was embraced well, with the likes of Andrew Toles, Brock Stewart, Rob Segedin and many others contributing.
While the Dodgers leaned on plenty of their organizational depth in 2016, there remains a crop of young talent that will soon be on the doorstep of the Majors. Among those prospects is second baseman Willie Calhoun.
He was selected by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2015 Draft. Calhoun spent that season with Rookie-level Ogden, Low-A Great Lakes, and High-A Rancho Cucamonga.
This year, Calhoun was aggressively promoted to Double-A Tulsa, where he remained for the entire regular season. Calhoun then joined Triple-A Oklahoma City for the Pacific Coast League Championship Series.
According to Kelsie Heneghan of MiLB.com, Calhoun believes his success proved he’s up to meeting challenges the Dodgers throw at him:
“This year was a lot of fun for me, being able to prove to the Dodgers that I’m able to do anything they throw at me,” Calhoun said. “I like to compete and give it my all every day, so them moving me fast is really fun for me and rewarding and also shows that they trust me. I was just able to prove to them why they should.”
In 132 games with Tulsa the 21-year-old batted .254/.318/.469 with 27 home runs and 88 RBIs, which led the Texas League and were tops in the organization. Calhoun was among the Dodgers prospects sent to the Arizona Fall League.
In 11 AFL games, Calhoun is batting .294/.351/.412 with one double, one home run and six RBIs. He started at second base in the Fall Stars Game, and went 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs to earn MVP honors.
While Calhoun has proven he’s more than capable of contributing at the plate, he’s dogged by questions over the ability to play second base at the Major League level.
