Angels’ Kole Calhoun looks to put erratic 2018 behind him and stay consistent – Orange County Register

TEMPE, Ariz. — Kole Calhoun approached the batting cage with caution this winter.

He went in only when supervised.

“I did not hit by myself and screw myself up,” the Angels suitable fielder reported. “So that is superior. … I made sure I experienced eyes on me when I was operating.”

Calhoun reported that in previous winters he’s hit devoid of a mentor and finished up creating improvements to his swing.

“That’s led me to some not so superior items.”

Such as, the worst begin of his profession, a miserable two-month begin to 2018 in which Calhoun completely shed himself on the way to a .145 batting regular.

Calhoun rediscovered himself immediately after a trip to the disabled listing and some time with hitting coaches Jeremy Reed and Shawn Wooten, who were being operating in the slight leagues at the time.

So it helps make perception that Calhoun was hesitant to get way too a lot time in the cage this winter devoid of possibly Reed or Wooten, who are now on the Angels’ main league coaching workers.

“I did not want to consider a action back,” Calhoun reported. “I worked so hard to get exactly where I was toward the 2nd half of final 12 months that I have the dark times of my profession ideally guiding me. I do not want to get into any poor habits that I made final 12 months.”

Calhoun reported final winter he tried to rework his swing to become additional dependable and hit the ball in the air additional. But, devoid of the appropriate instruction, what Calhoun essentially did was hit additional balls on the floor. For a pull hitter like him, who usually faces a change, floor balls are outs, and Calhoun’s quantities plummeted.

A strained indirect – most likely the consequence of way too quite a few swings in the cage to try to get suitable – despatched Calhoun to the disabled listing in early June. He returned to his offseason home in Arizona. Which is when he started off operating with Reed and Wooten.

When Calhoun returned, he experienced a new stance, and he proceeded to have one of the ideal extended streaks of his profession. For the future two months, he hit .291 with a .926 OPS. Despite the fact that he slumped all over again in September, he still completed with an .800 OPS over the season’s ultimate 87 video games.

With the superior and poor blended, Calhoun hit .208 with a .652 OPS.

“I most likely figured out additional about myself and hitting final 12 months than I ever have,” he reported, “and it was my worst 12 months.”

For that, Calhoun can largely thank Reed and Wooten.

Now that the two have been promoted to the main league workers, they’ll be all over just about every working day of the period.

“That’s awesome,” Calhoun reported. “I couldn’t be additional excited to have these fellas and be with them working day in and working day out. There are so quite a few items that transform, working day to working day, just not repeating the exact plan. There are very very little mechanical items that to the naked eye most persons wouldn’t see, and to them, they are very magnified. It was awesome to locate out they were being likely to be right here.”

Asked about some of the facts of what took place final 12 months, Calhoun reported “I do not even feel I fully recognize it. Which is the mastermind that is Shawn Wooten and Jeremy Reed.”

Reed, who will be on a huge league coaching workers for the initially time immediately after paying out five years operating with slight leaguers, reported that they’ve been operating for months with Calhoun to try to rediscover what he located final summer season.

“We’re collectively bouncing concepts off every other to get the ideal edition of Kole that we can get,” Reed reported.

Supervisor Brad Ausmus reported he believes the edition who returned immediately after the trip to the disabled listing is the serious Calhoun.

“I do not feel the initially two months of Kole Calhoun was Kole Calhoun, so I do not even aspect that into the equation, genuinely,” Ausmus reported. “I feel when he arrived off the DL, that is additional the dude we’re likely to get.”

Ausmus is also satisfied to have the Calhoun who is additional of a clubhouse presence than he imagined before signing up for the Angels.

“He has a terrific power,” Ausmus reported. “He’s a hard employee. He is a very superior influence.”

The Angels have Calhoun penciled in all over again as their day to day suitable fielder, irrespective of the inconsistency of final period. This is the ultimate certain 12 months of his contract, with an alternative for $14 million for 2020.