Former Utes great C.J. Cron reflects on time in Utah and the possibility of getting traded to a contender
Earlier this season, C.J. Cron missed 40 games thanks to a back issue, but the former University of Utah standout looks forward to putting together a strong second half of the season with the Colorado Rockies.
“Some of the best years of my life. I met my best friends there. We still connect today. We hang out all the time. I formed a lot of really good relationships during my time there.” — Colorado Rockies C.J. Cron on his time playing for the Utes
“Yeah, it (my back) feels OK. Still trying to get back in the groove of playing baseball every day,” Cron, 33, said earlier this week. “When you don’t play for six weeks, it’s a long time. Nice to get a few games in before the break and hopefully we can go on a run here in the second half.”
Between 2009 and 2011, Cron, a California native who was a 44th-round selection of the White Sox in the June 2008 draft, was a Ute. In 2009, he was Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year for a team that won the MWC Tournament and played in an NCAA Regional. Cron followed that up by earning MWC Player of the Year Honors in 2010 and by being named an All-American in 2011, when he was drafted 17th overall by the Angels.
“Yeah, some of the best years of my life,” he said of his three seasons as a Ute. “I met my best friends there. We still connect today. We hang out all the time. I formed a lot of really good relationships during my time there. I still go back, about once an offseason. It’s always nice to see everybody. The university’s doing great and it’s awesome to see.”
Cron’s father is Chris Cron, a former big-league player who now coaches with Oakland. His brother Kevin played in the big leagues with Arizona and in Japan and Korea before retiring in May, so he knew what to expect from pro ball.
However, looking back, Cron realizes his time in Salt Lake City was exactly what he needed to maximize his potential as a player and a person. “Yeah, it was huge. I think those three years there were when I developed the most,” Cron said. “I took a huge step my freshman year from how I played in high school.
“Obviously, from there it went really well. Yeah, the atmosphere that Coach Kinneberg created, it was definitely a very pro-like atmosphere. He did a great job with me. I owe the university everything.”
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After debuting with the Angels in May 2014, he was then a fixture with the Halos before they traded him to the Rays in February 2018. Cron was later designed for assignment by Tampa Bay, played for Minnesota in 2019 and with Detroit in 2020, when a knee injury limited him to only 13 games.
In February 2021, Cron landed in Colorado on a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. His first season with the Rockies, he hit .281 with 28 homers and 92 RBI, earning a two-year, $14.5 million contract extension that fall. Last season, he was an All-Star for the first time, driving in a career-high 102 runs while hitting 29 homers.
However, with him on an expiring contract and being a right-handed bat with good power, Cron’s name has already popped up as a possibility to be moved to a contender at or before the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline.
“I never really put much stock to it. In my opinion, it’s just something that’s out of my control,” Cron said. “There’s no reason to think about that kind of thing. It’s a lot easier for me being by myself that if that ever happens, I can just pack my suitcase up and leave. It’s not something I think about very much. If it happens, it happens and if it doesn’t, I love it here in Colorado. I guess we’ll see what happens.”
One reason he’s loved his time with the Rockies so much is because he’s been playing for former big-league pitcher Bud Black, Colorado’s manager since 2017.
“Buddy’s great, a great manager, pretty great to have him around. Just the stadium (Coors Field), it’s one of the nicest stadiums in baseball for sure,” Cron said. “We get a great turnout. Fans always seem to come out, always in the top five of attendance.
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“It’s just fun to play in packed stadiums every night. They show up no matter how good or bad we’re playing and that means a lot to us. It’s definitely a great place to play.”
And it’s safe to say Black has enjoyed having Cron on his roster.
“I think just the danger of power (is what he brings to our lineup). He’s an RBI guy,” Black said. “He can produce runs in the batter’s box with the homer, the extra base hit. I think when he’s going well, it’s just an at-bat where the pitchers are worried. Pitchers worry about power and C.J. has power.”
Now with over 1,000 games under his belt as a big leaguer, the thrill of continuing to live his lifelong dream while being part of a baseball family is not lost on this ex-Ute. “Yeah, it’s cool. It’s awesome,” Cron said. “My dad’s coaching, I’m still playing.”
“Baseball is all we’ve ever known, so I’m going to keep riding this wave as long as it will go on. I know that he (my dad) is super proud of me and I’m proud of him for getting his first big-league job a couple years ago. It’s been really good so far. (My brother) retired a couple months ago from the A’s and think he’s done. He’ll land on his feet. He’ll do something in baseball for sure.”
Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.
