Play Ball! Benicia High Grad Drafted by the LA Dodgers

Slugger Willie Calhoun impressed local fans while playing for Benicia High School. Following his 2013 graduation, he headed to Arizona for college. His performance at Yavapai College in Prescott was impressive enough to convince the LA Dodgers to draft him in the fourth round of this year’s MLB draft.

Calhoun batted an impressive .432 at Yavapai. The second baseman is expected to move to the outfield.

Following his pick Tuesday, Calhoun told the Times Herald, “This is really a humbling and exciting moment for me. It’s the biggest achievement in my life so far.”

Calhoun hopes to work his way up through the farm system in two or three years, earning a spot in the lineup at Dodger Stadium.

Prior to the draft, he worked out with the team. “I had never been to Dodger Stadium and I hit a lot of home runs that day I worked out for them,” Calhoun said. “It was unreal. I had known it was one of the bigger ballparks in the big leagues but it looked like a small ballpark to me that day.”

Calhoun watched the draft on TV in Walnut Creek with his family and others, savoring the moment.

Before attending Yavapai, a community college, Calhoun briefly attended the University of Arizona.

Here’s the MLB.com scouting report on Calhoun:

Calhoun can definitely swing the bat, even gaining praise from Arizona head coach Andy Lopez while scuffling a bit as a freshman there. He has good bat speed from the left side of the plate and plenty of strength with a pull approach. He’s not all or nothing, though, showing an ability to make adjustments and consistent hard contact with a pretty solid approach. Scouts don’t give him much chance to play third, but he has played some left field, and that might be the best home for him long term.

--Image via Yavapai College