4 years agoVeteran 1B C.J. Cron came into 2020 riding high off of a 2019 season that saw him finish with 25 HR, 78 RBI, and a triple slash of .253/.311/.469. While Cron's batting average was down at the start of the 2020 season, he had a 19.2% barrel rate and .894 OPS in 13 games before missing the rest of the season with a knee injury. Although Cron was only able to find a minor league contract this offseason, signing with the Rockies presents salivating possibilities for the 31-year-old. Cron has to beat out Josh Fuentes, Greg Bird, and prospect Colton Welker in order to be the starting 1B on a team that plays in the most hitter-friendly park in baseball and he's been hitting very well so far this spring. One of the key reasons to believe in Cron is the growth he showed from 2017-19. Cron began to be more aggressive in the zone, pulling the ball more, and increasing his launch angle. As a result, the years between 2017-19 saw him average 24 HR on a .224 ISO with a .251 batting average. He had over a 10% barrel rate each year and a Hard% of 41%, so he wasn't a one-year flash in the pan. With Coors Field being proven to boost BABIP, and thus batting average, there's a real chance that Cron could hit .270 with 30+ HRs if he wins the 1B job. Even if he splits time, and only plays in 110+ games, he will provide solid power production and RBIs in that hitting environment, which makes him a solid gamble around pick 260 in most drafts.--Eric Samulski