Kole Calhoun. Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Former Gold Glove outfielder announces his retirement

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Dan Benton | Last updated 3/16/24

Veteran outfielder Kole Calhoun, who spent 12 seasons in the MLB and played for four different teams, officially announced his retirement from baseball on Friday.

In an emotional social media post, Calhoun thanked his family, the Los Angeles Angels for taking a chance on him and baseball fans all around the world.

Former Angels Update: OF Kole Calhoun has retired from the game of Baseball. Calhoun, an 8th round draft pick by the Angels in 2010’ ended up playing 12 years in the majors. He played for the Angels from 2012-2019 and won a Gold Glove in 2015. Thank you @KoleCalhoun! pic.twitter.com/SGETI7nn9z

— Angels News (@AngelsNews27) March 15, 2024

The 36-year-old Calhoun was selected by the Angels in the eighth round of the 2010 MLB Draft. He made his major-league debut in 2012 and recorded his first hit — a double off of Oakland A’s pitcher Jarrod Parker — in just his second game.

In total, Calhoun spent eight years with the Angels, two with the Arizona Diamondbacks, one with the Texas Rangers and one with the Cleveland Guardians.

Over 1,239 regular season games, Calhoun batted .242/.315/.417 with 179 home runs, 582 RBI and 34 stolen bases. He retires with a career WAR of 14.1.

Also a solid fielder, Calhoun was a Gold Glove Award in 2015 as a member of the Angels. Coincidentally, that was one of his better offensive seasons as he belted 26 home runs and drove in 83 runs, which was a career high.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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