Veteran outfielder Kole Calhoun is back in the majors with the Guardians. After spending the start of the season with the Yankees’ and Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliates, Calhoun was picked up by Cleveland when Josh Naylor went on the injured list late last week.
Calhoun was the DH in his first game for Cleveland on Saturday, played first base on Sunday and made his outfield debut on Monday night in right. It was out there that he made one of the most impressive catches of the season.
Leading off the sixth inning, Paul DeJong hit a flare down the right-field line. Calhoun hustled to track it down and then dove at just the right moment to snag it with his body fully extended.
Kole Calho...ly cow.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/tU59laTAox
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) August 8, 2023
Now, here’s where the metrics put a bit of a damper on the play. According to Statcast, the catch probability on the play was 95%. Calhoun covered an impressive 101 feet to make the catch, but the ball hung in the air for 6.0 seconds. It would have been an easier play for other outfielders with better speed than the 35-year-old Calhoun. But while a faster player would have made the play look more routine, the effort Calhoun put into pulling it off made it impressive.
The play was a bit of redemption for Calhoun, who, playing first base on Sunday for the first time since 2015, made two misplays in the ninth inning that allowed the White Sox to earn a comeback victory.
