Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Angels may have found their longtime designated hitter/future first baseman in C.J. Cron. The team released Raul Ibanez days ago due to underperforming. Cron is much younger with a lot of upside, especially in the power category and should be added in deeper leagues.
Ibanez was brought in as the designated hitter after his spectacular run with the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out for Ibanez or the Angels. He hit just three home runs and 21 RBI in 166 at bats.
Cron has played in only 39 games, but has already doubled Ibanez’s home run totals. He has hit six homers and 19 RBI. He hit three home runs in three consecutive days from June 20 to 22. Cron is also providing the fantasy owners who own him with a nice .294 average.
He has been manning DH on a semi-regular basis. He’s been getting some playing time, but not enough to be fantasy relevant on all levels. Now, with Ibanez out of the picture, Cron will now take over as the full-time DH. Many baseball experts peg Cron has a Mark Trumbo-like hitter. His .852 OPS gives the Angels a versatile player at the plate that can drive in runs or just get on base. While Cron may hit less home runs, he will hit for a higher batting average.
Until Cron becomes acclimated to being the full-time DH, stay an arm’s length away. He should have great value in 12-14 team leagues because of the lack of depth on the waiver wire. He is widely available, owned in just eight percent of ESPN.com leagues.
He has great power and could be a boost to anyone’s lineup.
Bill Pivetz is a fantasy sports writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @BPiv_Sports.
