Who’s on first? C.J. Cron for the most part
First baseman adds some power, veteran leadership to young roster
In no way is C.J. Cron trying to replace Miguel Cabrera with the Detroit Tigers.
Injuries have limited Cabrera to just 58 games at first base over the last two seasons. The Tigers would like to protect the 37-yearold Cabrera physically while keeping his bat in the lineup as their designated hitter. However, the club couldn’t adequately fill the position last season despite 10 different players appearing at first base.
So, the Tigers inked Cron to a one-year deal in the off-season after he hit 25 home runs and drove in 78 runs for the Minnesota Twins. But aside from bringing some power from the right side of the plate, Cron said he and Cabrera are two very different players.
“I think it helps we’re both right-handed power hitters,” Cron said during a Zoom media call on Tuesday. “Pitchers tend to pitch guys like us a little differently, (but) it’s hard to do what a guy of that calibre does.
“This is going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and for me to try to do exactly what he does, I don’t know if I’m skilled enough to do that.”
In the 30-year-old Cron, the Tigers get a six-year veteran who can do the job defensively at first base with a career .993 fielding percentage.
As well, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound Cron has hit 55 home runs over the past two seasons and provides some protection for Cabrera in the lineup.
“I like to try to see what the pitchers are trying to do with Miggy and see how they approach him, especially in hitter’s counts, and I can do that from the on-deck circle,” Cron said
This is the third team in three seasons for Cron, who had stops in Tampa and Minnesota after spending four seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, who made him their first-round pick in 2011.
“It’s a good group of guys,” Cron said of the Tigers. “It’s a young group. Kind of reminds me of when I got traded over to the Rays. How it was just a super, super young team that didn’t have that veteran leadership, and I think myself, and (fellow free agent additions like second baseman) Johnny (Schoop), and Rommy (catcher Austin Romine) and (outfielder) Cam Maybin, it’s kind of an old presence that you need to kind of show the young guys how to go about business, and honestly, have some fun.”
The Tigers are trying to avoid a fifth straight losing season, and while Cron hasn’t had to deal with the pain of those losing campaigns, he can see the rewards.
“There’s a lot of talent in that clubhouse,” Cron said. “They look good. These young arms (drafted recently) we see coming in have some really good stuff.
“It’s never fun to be on the losing side of a couple of seasons, but when you see what you get from that, I guess the reward from that, it looks promising.
“A lot of good, young players, and even the players who are already on the team, they’ve got a ton of room to grow. I think it’s going to be a good year for a lot of them, and you’re going to see them take a big step forward.”
Playing on a one-year deal with just 60 games, Cron said his focus isn’t on being a free agent again after the season and where the future might bring him.
“It’s super important to kind of compare your situation to, really, everyone in the world,” Cron said. “Everyone is struggling (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), it’s not like it’s just a baseball thing. It’s nothing about us. People have it a lot worse off than we do.
“So, that’s kind of my mentality.
I haven’t even put any thought into free agency. I just want to be the best version of myself I can be for this Tigers’ organization, and hopefully help them win a few games, no matter how many games we play. That’s kind of my mindset and I’m sure we’ll cross that (free agent) road when we get there.”