Angels first baseman C.J. Cron underwent surgery to repair his left thumb. He will need 6-8 weeks of rest and rehab. How does this affect his 2017 season?
The Los Angeles Angels offense was not what we were hoping it would be this season. Outside of Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, not many other players were worth owning in standard leagues. That list of players may reduce by one after the most recent news out of Angels camp. First baseman C.J. Cron underwent thumb surgery and will require up to eight weeks of rest. How will this affect his 2017 season?
Cron has been serviceable throughout his career. Nothing special, but ownable in deeper leagues. This season was no different. He played in 116 games, a career high and hit 16 home runs and 69 RBI with a .278 average. He also scored 51 runs and had a .325 on-base percentage.
Cron’s 2016 season was cut short when he broke his left hand on July 8. He did return on August 20, after missing 35 games. He did not hit poorly when he returned, hitting .277/.310/.453 from his return to the end of the season. However, September wasn’t the best month for Cron.
In September, he had just three multi-hit games. Going 1-for-4 on a daily basis with limited power is not going to help fantasy owners all that much.
The injury looked like it had some lingering affects throughout the season, which reflected in his final month’s numbers.
As a result, a surgery was required to clean everything up and make sure Cron would be 100 percent for Opening Day. He will likely miss some early activities, but will be ready for Spring Training.
Cron is just 26-years-old, so he is just entering his prime. With Trout and Pujols in that offense, other batters benefit. Although, with those two being the only threats at the plate, pitchers can avoid them to get to the other seven batters. If Cron can have his breakout season, which means 130+ GP, 20 home runs, 80 RBI and a .280 average would make him a valuable corner infielder.
Cron finished as the No. 26 first baseman on the Player Rater. Granted, there are some multi-position eligible players on the list, so he may be closer to the top 20. I think he is still undraftable in standard 10-team leagues. However, in deeper or AL-only leagues, he is a good option. I don’t think this surgery should affect his play for next season.
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