March 21, 2021

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Kole Calhoun epitomized the term "steady Eddie" for the majority of his career in Anaheim, producing solid, consistent results, but never taking his game to the next level. He was the perfect OF5 in a five-outfielder league. That changed in 2019, when Calhoun revamped his swing amidst a slump and wound up exploding for 33 home runs and a .236 ISO that year. He carried that success into 2020, as Calhoun popped 16 bombs with a .300 ISO and .362 wOBA in 228 PA last year. A disciple of the Statcast revolution, Calhoun posted a career-high 11.8% barrel rate and a 17-degree average launch angle in 2020, which were two key components to his success. A .211 BABIP and .264 xBA suggest that Calhoun could improve on his .226 BA from a year ago as well. He was dealing with some tightness and soreness in his right knee at the start of Spring Training, which turned out to be a medial meniscus tear. He underwent surgery in early March to repair his knee and should be out all of April. This has caused his ADP to plummet from 260 pre-injury to just outside the top 300. Given his age and reputation for bland stability Calhoun is often overlooked, but if he can marry his newfound power with a batting average around .250-.260 then he could prove to be a tremendous value. Due to the injury he's going un-drafted in most standard leagues so he's a sneaky stash if you have the spare IL slot.--Elliott Baas