He has good hands and makes plays. He is able to handle tough throws, and when infielders have confidence in their first baseman, they don't have to make perfect throws and play better. – 66ers manager Bill Haselman
Former University of Utah slugger C.J. Cron is enjoying the California weather, staying healthy and figuring pitchers out pretty quickly in his first full season in professional baseball.
Cron, who was a two-time All-American and Mountain West Conference player of the year, was the Los Angeles Angels' first selection in the 2011 amateur draft. The son of former major leaguer and current minor league manager Chris Cron has a 19-game hitting streak with the Inland Empire 66ers, the Angels' California League affiliate.
"I've made some minor adjustments and am trying to get the bat through the zone as quickly as possible," said Cron, who has raised his batting average to .293 and has eight home runs and 42 runs batted in. "Earlier in the year, I was swinging at breaking pitches in the dirt. I have laid off those pitches, and I am able to drive a breaking pitch if someone leaves it high."
Before the season, Baseball America ranked Cron as the fifth-best prospect in the Angels' organization. The Phoenix-area resident was ranked ahead of top-ranked Mike Trout in terms of having the best power among Angels' prospects.
Continued production may give local fans a chance to see Cron again since the Salt Lake Bees are the Angels' Triple-A affiliate in the Pacific Coast League, two levels above Inland Empire, which is an Advanced Class A team.
"C.J. has big-league bat speed," said 66ers manager Bill Haselman, a 12-year major league veteran. "He is a smart hitter and has had good at-bats."
Cron started slowly, batting only .202 in April. The April offensive drought turned into a May bouquet, as Cron hit .351 with four homers and 23 RBIs and had an on-base percentage over .400.
The most meaningful statistic might be that Cron has played in 56 of Inland Empire's first 57 games. He suffered through some injuries in the spring and a right shoulder injury while at Utah, leading to a position change from catcher to first base. His 2011 rookie league season ended when he dislocated his knee, but 2012 has offered a sharp reduction in visits to medical waiting rooms.
"For C.J., the most important thing is being able to stay on the field," said Inland Empire batting coach Paul Sorrento. "Keeping him on the field was the focus of the organization."
Cron said playing more games allowed him to get better information on pitchers. He has been more aware on what pitchers tend to throw in certain situations.
"The scouting reports get better as the year goes on," said Cron. "You know more about different guys."
Cron's work in the batting cage has been more focused and he has displayed a good work ethic.
"He's hitting more line drives and concentrates on using the whole field when taking batting practice," Sorrento said. "The ball comes off his bat louder. He works extremely hard and he has God-given ability." Learning a new position has gone fairly smoothly for Cron, who has made defensive progress at first base.
"He has good hands and makes plays," said Haselman. "He is able to handle tough throws, and when infielders have confidence in their first baseman, they don't have to make perfect throws and play better."
Cron, an Arizona native, said he appreciated the spring weather in southern California. Although the California League generally features cities that are away from the cooler coast regions, even the warmest inland cities are not as hot as Cron's native Phoenix.
As for his former college team, Cron still keeps tabs on the Utes.
Despite Utah's struggles in its first year of playing Pac-12 baseball, Cron is also optimistic about the Utes' future against the stronger college baseball competition.
"The Pac-12 is going to be a great thing for Utah," said Cron, who has talked with some of his former teammates during the season. "There are going to be better recruits for all of the sports. It's going to be much different, but there will be time to improve and I'm excited about it."