Willie Calhoun of the Los Angeles Dodgers was named the fourth-best second base prospect for the 2017 season by MLB Pipeline. That is down from where he was a year ago, as Calhoun was previously ranked third.
The 22-year-old was drafted by the Dodgers in the fourth round in 2015. Calhoun spent last season with Double-A Tulsa, then joined Triple-A Oklahoma City in the Pacific Coast League championship, and concluded the year by participating in the Arizona Fall League.
Calhoun hit .254/.318/.469 with 25 doubles, 27 home runs and 88 RBIs with the Drillers. He committed 21 errors in 484 chances at second base, translating to a .957 fielding percentage.
In 14 Arizona Fall League games, Calhoun batted .255/.300/.340 with one home run and six RBIs, while committing just one error on defense. He was named MVP of the Fall Stars Game.
Baseball America included Calhoun on their list of the Dodgers’ top-10 prospects, ranking him No. 5, behind first baseman Cody Bellinger, pitchers Yadier Alvarez and Jose De Leon and outfielder Alex Verdugo.
Calhoun was also rated the organization’s eighth-best prospect by Baseball Prospectus. He’s part of a farm system that was ranked No. 5 in baseball by ESPN’s Keith Law, despite recent graduations of Corey Seager and Julio Urias.
Calhoun is among a handful of known players who have received a non-roster invite to Spring Training.
It’ll mark the first time in Calhoun’s young career that he’s with the Dodgers in big league camp. Although the club has a need at second base, it’s unlikely they’ll turn in Calhoun this season.
