One of the biggest surprises to come out of the first half of the 2014 season has to be the leadoff man for the Angels Kole Calhoun.  He has played great this year and if he hadn’t missed nearly a month and a half due to a sprained ankle who knows how good his first half numbers could have been.  Before the season started I had Calhoun as a fantasy baseball sleeper with his special skill set of speed and power.  Those two things combined with him leading off for a potent Angels offense, means good things were bound to happen for the youngster.  

Calhoun made a good impression last season in his limited time.  In 195 at bats last year Calhoun batted .282 with 29 runs scored, eight homeruns, 32 RBI and two steals.  This year in only 22 more at bats Calhoun is batting .295 with 49 runs scored, 25 RBI, 10 homeruns and three steals.  These numbers are coming in what has been somewhat of a platoon role with Collin Cowgill since coming off the disabled list.  Despite being a good batter against left handed pitching with a respectable .277 average, Mike Scioscia is using Cowgill against most lefties as he too is swinging a hot bat.  Once Calhoun regains his full time position his value is going to skyrocket as he should be able to eclipse one hundred runs scored this year and hit twenty homeruns.

Considering that Calhoun is batting .340 with six homeruns, 29 runs scored and 16 RBI in the last 30 days, the opportunity to buy low on Calhoun has passed.  If you however were one of the few who either drafted or picked up Calhoun from free agency, enjoy the ride for the rest of the year.  Calhoun is legit and I’m buying his production as he proves to be a strong fixture atop the powerful Angels offense.