Professional baseball SSG’s new foreign hitter, Kevin Kron (28, photo), resembles his predecessor Jamie Romack in many ways. However, Cron’s condition was not good this year, so it is expected that he will play an active role from the early stage of joining SSG like Romack.
An SSG official said on the 5th, “After searching for a gun to replace Romac, I signed a contract with Cron, who played for Hiroshima Toyo Carp this year in Japanese professional baseball.” Cron’s contract terms include a down payment of $150,000 (180 million won), an annual salary of $600,000 (710 million won), and an option of $250,000 (296 million won).
Cron is a type of giant that hits home runs and long hits with the power of 196 cm and 115 kg, so it is reminiscent of Romack, who was responsible for SSG 4th hitter for 5 years from 2017 to 2021 and poured 155 home runs and 409 RBIs. Cron hit 38 home runs in 82 games in the US Triple-A PCL (Pacific Coast League) in 2019, setting a new PCL record for most home runs and entering the Major Leagues (Arizona Diamondbacks) that year. Triple A is on the same level or higher than that of the KBO league, so if Cron shows his skills, it’s not enough to do his part in SSG.
However, the fact that Cron was sluggish in Japan this year is a big difference from Romac, who returned to SSG after failing in Japan and returned to his condition in Triple A. Cron challenged Japanese professional baseball through Hiroshima this year, but played in 42 games, hitting 6 home runs and 16 RBIs. Romack was also released with two RBIs without a home run at the Yokohama DeNA, Japan in 2016, but the following year, after drawing an upward curve with 11 homers and 25 RBIs in 25 Triple-A games, he came to SSG’s predecessor SK Wyverns as a replacement mercenary in May 2017. As soon as Romack arrived, he hit a home run and built the foundation for the KBO League’s ‘long run’.
SSG is planning to make efforts from various angles to maximize his condition and strengths when Cron joins the Vero Beach Spring Camp in Florida in February next year. If Cron fills in Romack’s vacancy, he will maintain SSG’s most powerful firepower along with Choi Jeong, Han Yu-seom, Choo Shin-su, and Choi Joo-hwan.
Reporter Hyungi Kim vic@kihoilbo.co.kr
Kiho Ilbo – Newspaper that opens the morning, KIHOILBO
