Cron signs as battle for first base job heats up

The Rockies continue to stock up on first basemen with spring training just days away.

The club signed C.J. Cron to a minor league contract Monday with an invitation to the bigleague camp. Should the righthanded-hitting Cron make the team, it would be his fifth bigleague team in five seasons.

Cron’s acquistion creates crowded competition at first base, where he’ll compete for the starting job with Josh Fuentes and Greg Bird.

The right-handed-hitting Fuentes bumped the now-retired Daniel Murphy as Colorado’s starting first baseman last season and is considered the favorite to win the position, but it’s possible the Rockies will use Fuentes as a utlility player.

Bird, who hits left-handed, signed a minor league deal with the Rockies last week.

Cron, 31, signed a one-year, $6.1 million free-agent deal with Detroit last year but his season ended early when he suffered a left knee injury on Aug. 11 that required surgery to stabilize his

patella (knee cap). He has been cleared for full participation this spring.

In 52 plate appearances for the Tigers, Cron smacked four homers and put up a slash line of .190/ .346/.548.

Cron, who’s also been a designated hitter, has shown pop in his bat over seven seasons, hitting .257/ .312/.464 with 118 home runs over 2,586 career plate appearances with Detroit, Minnesota, Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Angels. With the Rays in 2018, he smacked 30 home runs and drove in 74 runs. Across 2018-19, he launched 55 homers and teed off on lefthanded pitching, hitting .315.

In 2019 with the Twins, Cron hit .253 with 25 home runs and 78 RBIs but was plagued by a sore right thumb in the second half of the season that eventually required surgery.

If he proves healthy, Cron will get a chance for regular playing time for a Rockies offense that desperately needs firepower, especially with the loss of third baseman Nolan Arenado in a trade to St. Louis. Cron has been much more effective in his career vs. left-handed pitchers than against righties. He’s hit .274 with a .819 OPS vs. southpaws, with 35 home runs in 691 plate appearances. Against righthanders, he’s hit .251 with a .758 OPS and 83 home runs in 1,676 plate appearances.

If the National League ends up adopting the designated hitter for 2021, Cron could be a candidate for that job.

Spring training also will give prospect Colton Welker a chance to impress. He’s on the 40-man big-league roster for the first time. He hit .252 with 10 home runs at Double-A Hartford in 2019, but the pandemic wiped out the 2020 minor league season.

Rockies pitchers and catchers report to spring training on Thursday in Scottsdale, Ariz.