Utah Utes baseball: C.J. Cron talks softly and carries a big stick for Utes

SALT LAKE CITY — It's not often the University of Utah — not exactly a college baseball powerhouse — features an all-American baseball player who leads the nation in hitting.

That's what the Utes have this year in C.J. Cron, who not only leads the nation in batting average, but is also one of the leaders in home runs, slugging percentage and RBIs. He's one of the top baseball prospects ever to come out of the state's college ranks and is almost a sure-fire first-round draft choice in next month's major-league draft.

Utah coach Bill Kinneberg minces no words when he says of the Arizona native, "He's the best hitter in the country."

Kinneberg isn't talking about just the fact that Cron literally leads the nation in batting average at .469, but that he also hits for power, something that doesn't always go hand-in-hand with a great batting average.

"He's a combination you don't find very often any more," says Kinnberg. "He hits for a great average, but he has tremendous power as well. He's hitting .460 because he's such a great hitter — he has great hands — and he's driving in so many runs because he has so much power."

Cron has 46 runs batted in and 11 home runs, ranking him ninth in the nation in RBIs per game and 23rd in home runs per game. He also ranks third in slugging percentage and fifth in on-base percentage and has a 54-game reached-base streak dating back to last year.

So how did the best hitter in the country end up at Utah instead of one of college baseball's traditional powers such as Texas, Miami or Arizona State?

Actually, Arizona State was one of a handful of schools that offered Cron a scholarship. However, Cron wanted to get away from home, rather than play 15 minutes from his house, so he chose to go north to play.

Another big reason he chose Utah was because his father Chris, who played briefly in the major leagues, was good friends with Kinneberg, who he coached with in the Chicago White Sox organization.

It also helped that the day he made his recruiting trip to Utah in September 2007, the Utah football team crushed No. 12 UCLA in football 44-6.

"That was a pretty fun experience," Cron said. "I liked the campus, the coaching staff, and it just seemed like a pretty good fit for me."

On the recent afternoon when Cron was being interviewed, as rain fell outside and temperatures were in the 40s, he was asked if he lamented that he could be playing in the sunshine and warmth of Arizona instead.

"Yeah, it crosses my mind," he said, "but in a couple of weeks it will be 110 down there. I don't miss those days, that's for sure."

Kinneberg says Cron "has always been a hitter," but in high school he wasn't thought of as a great defensive player and was a little heavier and slower, which might have kept recruiters away.

However, in the spring of his senior year at Mountain Pointe High School near Phoenix, he put up some big numbers. Kinneberg already had him ticketed to Utah by that point, but he didn't know exactly what he was getting.

"When he came in here and I saw him hit, I said, 'We've got something special here,' " Kinneberg recalls.

Cron proved himself right from the beginning, becoming the starting catcher and earning freshman all-American honors after hitting .337 with 11 home runs and 58 RBIs. He was a big reason why the Utes won the Mountain West Conference tournament title as the sixth seed and went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 49 years.

As a sophomore, his numbers got even better, as he raised his average nearly 100 points to .431 and hit 20 home runs with 81 RBIs, earning him first-team All-American honors.

This year, he was selected as a preseason all-American and got off to a terrific start, extending a hitting streak to 32 games. He has hit in all but one game this year while hitting close to .500.

So what makes Cron such a great hitter?

He believes it's mostly because he got started at such a young age, hanging around with his father. The elder Cron has coached every level of the minor leagues, including Great Falls of the Pioneer League and Colorado Springs of the Pacific Coast League. Currently he's the manager of Detroit Tigers' AA team in Erie, Pa.

"From the time I was little, I was basically around baseball 24-7," Cron said. "We would always hit on the fields wherever (my father) was playing or coaching. I just think getting that much of a head start has really helped me in having the right approach to play."

When he goes to the plate, Cron says he tries to have a disciplined approach.

"I don't just go up there and swing every time," he says. "I try to have a plan every time. I try to find a pitch in the zone and put a good swing on it."

Cron has the opportunity to turn professional after this season — major college players must wait until after their junior season — and will take it. Before then, he hopes to lead the Utes to another NCAA berth. They are currently 19-15 and 9-4 in the Mountain West Conference, second to TCU, who they will play in an important series next month.

He is expected to be taken in the first round, and among the teams showing the most interest in him are Washington, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay and the Angels. While he acknowledges it "would be nice" to be drafted by his favorite team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, he doesn't really care who takes him.

"No, I don't try to think about that," he said. "Whatever happens, happens."

Just don't be surprised if you happen to see Cron hitting in the major leagues one of these days.

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