CJ Cron Is Racking Up The RBI

Angels 2011 first round draftee CJ Cron is close to setting a totally meaningless franchise record. The bat only prospect is just two RBI away from breaking the organization’s minor league mark. And yes, RBI is the plural and a ridiculous stat. However, bunches of RBI can get you paid in arbitration.

Cron, the 17th overall pick in 2011, now has 123 RBI at High-A Inland Empire just behind Todd Greene‘s record set in 1994 according to this Mike DiGiovanna tweet. And who can forget Greene’s magical .243/.275/.436 year in 1999. Oh, everybody?

But Cron is a legit prospect. While he won’t crack anybody’s top 100 prospect list, he can certainly hit a baseball and should advance quickly. Cron probably shouldn’t be asked to field a position or run or do anything athletic-ish but he’s gonna hit some homers. He’s hitting .293/.327/.516 with 27 home runs this season. His 3.1 BB% does suggest he only likes to walk when he hits a home run. That’s slightly discouraging.

The great Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus ranked Cron the fifth best Angels prospect entering the 2012 season. You can read the full list here if you are a subscriber (and you should be) but here is a snipet…

"Tools Profile: Bat. We’re done here.The Bad: Cron is the definition of a bat-only prospect. He’s slow enough to be labeled a base-clogger by some scouts, and is a well below-average defender. Some already project him as a future designated hitter."

Well, you know the saying. Chicks dig the long ball. Good for you, CJ Cron.