C. J. Cron

Christopher John Cron Jr. (born January 5, 1990) is an American professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and Colorado Rockies. He bats and throws right-handed.

C. J. Cron
Cron with the Colorado Rockies in 2021
Los Angeles Angels – No. 25
First baseman / Designated hitter
Born: (1990-01-05) January 5, 1990
Fullerton, California, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 3, 2014, for the Los Angeles Angels
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Batting average.260
Home runs187
Runs batted in604
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Amateur career

Cron attended Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix, Arizona, and graduated in 2008.[1] He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 44th round (1320th overall) of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft, but he did not sign, opting to attend college. Cron attended the University of Utah, where he played college baseball for the Utah Utes baseball team.[2]

Cron as a freshman with Utah in 2009

In 2009, Cron was named a second Team College Freshman All-American and Mountain West Conference (MWC) Freshman of the Year. In 2010, he was named a third Team College All-American, MWC All-Star and MWC Player of the Year. After the 2010 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[3] In 2011, Cron led the nation in on-base plus slugging (OPS) (1.320) and slugging percentage, for which he was named a Baseball America All-American.[4]

Professional career

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim / Los Angeles Angels

The Angels selected Cron in the first round, with the 17th overall selection, of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft.[5] He made his professional debut that season with the Rookie-level Orem Owlz of the Pioneer League that year.[1]

In 2012, Cron played for the Inland Empire 66ers of the Class A-Advanced California League, where he had a .293 batting average with 27 home runs and 123 runs batted in (RBIs). He played for the Arkansas Travelers of the Class AA Texas League in 2013, and hit .274 with 14 home runs and 83 RBIs. Cron began the 2014 season with the Salt Lake Bees of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League. He hit .319 with six home runs and 26 RBIs in 28 games for Salt Lake.[6]

Cron with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2015

Cron made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Angels on May 3, 2014.[7] Cron hit his first career major league home run on May 10, in an eventual win against the Toronto Blue Jays.[8] The Angels continued to use Raúl Ibañez as their designated hitter, while Ibañez mentored Cron, in spite of Ibañez's struggles.[9][10] Following the release of Ibañez on June 21, Cron became the Angels' primary designated hitter as well as playing first base frequently.[11] He finished the season with a .256 batting average and 11 home runs. Cron was the starting DH for the Angels opening day roster in 2015, but was optioned to Triple-A twice during the season. After struggling at the plate and with some nagging injuries, Cron only played in 113 games in 2015 and hit 16 home runs for the Angels.

Cron once again made the team out of spring training in 2016, serving as their DH and occasional first baseman. On July 2, he had six hits, including two home runs and a double, in a 21–2 defeat of the Boston Red Sox.[12] Cron tied his career high in 2016 with 16 home runs in 116 games, while also hitting .278 with 69 RBI.

The Angels optioned Cron to Salt Lake on May 22, 2017, after enduring a slow start to the season.[13] He was called back up after a month. He finished the season with a .248 average and 16 home runs.

Tampa Bay Rays
Cron with the Rays

On February 17, 2018, the Angels traded Cron to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for a player to be named later (Luis Rengifo).[14] On July 9, Cron hit his 17th home run of the season, setting a new career high before the All-Star break. On July 26, Cron hit his 20th home run of the season against the New York Yankees.[15] Cron finished his season with career highs in home runs, hitting 30 over 140 games. He also slashed .253/.323/.493 with 74 runs batted in and finished sixth among designated hitters in wins above replacement.[16]

On November 20, the Rays designated Cron for assignment.[17]

Minnesota Twins

On November 26, 2018, Cron was claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Twins.[18] In 125 games, Cron hit .253 with 25 home runs and 78 RBI. On December 2, 2019, Cron was non-tendered by Minnesota and became a free agent.[19]

Detroit Tigers

On December 21, 2019, Cron signed a one-year, $6.1 million contract with the Detroit Tigers.[20] On July 24, 2020, Cron made his Tigers debut as Opening Day starting first baseman. On August 15, 2020, it was announced Cron needed season-ending knee surgery.[21] Overall with the 2020 Detroit Tigers, Cron batted .190 with four home runs and 8 RBIs in 13 games.[22]

Colorado Rockies

On February 15, 2021, Cron signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies organization that included an invitation to Spring Training.[23] On March 20, Cron's contract was selected to the 40-man roster. On October 5, 2021, he signed a 2-year, $14.5 million extension with the Rockies.[24] In his first season with the Rockies, Cron batted .281/.375/.530 with 28 home runs and a career-high 92 RBIs and 70 runs scored.

Second Stint with Los Angeles Angels

On July 30, 2023, Cron was traded along with Randal Grichuk to the Angels in exchange for minor league pitchers Jake Madden and Mason Albright.[25]

Personal life

Cron is the son of former MLB player Chris Cron.[4] Cron's younger brother, Kevin, also plays professional baseball.[26] Their cousin, Chad Moeller, also played in MLB.[27]

See also

References
  1. Skoda, Jason P. "MP grad C.J. Cron begins pro career in Pioneer League – Ahwatukee Foothills – EVTNow". Eastvalleytribune.com. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  2. "Bernie Pleskoff: C.J. Cron is a future power option for the Los Angeles Angels | angels.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  3. "CJ Cron". pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  4. "College: Awards: All-America Teams: 2011 College All-America Team". BaseballAmerica.com. June 15, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  5. Alfano, George (May 9, 2014). "Former Utes, Bees star C.J. Cron enjoying hot start to major league career". Deseret News. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  6. DiGiovanna, Mike (May 3, 2014). "C.J. Cron has memorable three-hit major league debut in Angels' win". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  7. "Texas Rangers vs. Los Angeles Angels – Recap – May 03, 2014 – ESPN". Scores.espn.go.com. May 3, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  8. Carter Williams (May 11, 2014). "Utahns in baseball: C.J. Cron hits first career MLB homer; former BYU slugger Matt Carson catches fire in Columbus". Deseret News. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  9. "Angels' Raul Ibanez helps C.J. Cron adjust to majors". Los Angeles Times. June 1, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  10. "Angels' use of Raul Ibanez over C.J. Cron at DH draws criticism – Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. June 18, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  11. "Angels release struggling designated hitter Raul Ibanez". Los Angeles Times. June 21, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  12. "MLB Box Score – Los Angeles vs. Boston". CBS Sports. July 2, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  13. Chichester, Ryan (May 22, 2017). "Angels option C.J. Cron to Triple-A". MLB Daily Dish.
  14. Chastain, Bill (February 17, 2018). "Rays get Cron from Halos; Odorizzi to Twins". MLB.com. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  15. "Rays' C.J. Cron: Hits homer benchmark". CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  16. "Major League Leaderboards » 2018 » Designated Hitters » Dashboard | FanGraphs Baseball". Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  17. Marc Topkin (November 20, 2018). "Rays DFA C.J. Cron in adding 5 prospects to roster". Tampabay.com. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  18. "Minnesota Twins claim slugger C.J. Cron off waivers from Tampa Rays". Espn.com. November 27, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  19. Phil Miller (December 2, 2019). "Twins part ways with C.J. Cron and Trevor Hildenberger". Star Tribune. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  20. Beck, Jason (December 21, 2019). "Tigers sign Schoop, Cron to matching deals". MLB.com. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  21. Petzold, Evan (August 15, 2020). "Detroit Tigers slugger C.J. Cron to have season-ending knee surgery". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  22. "C.J. Cron Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
  23. "Rockies Sign C.J. Cron to Minor League Contract".
  24. "Rockies Select Contracts of C.J. Cron, Chris Owings".
  25. "Angels land Cron, Grichuk in deal with Rockies". MLB.com. July 30, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  26. "TCU mainstays leaving Horned Frogs after stellar careers". star-telegram. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  27. "Siblings C.J. and Kevin Cron are both expected to go high in Major League Baseball's amateur draft". Ahwatukee Foothills News. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
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