Brandon Cromer

Brandon Cromer

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 170 lb.

• High School Lexington High School
• Born January 25, 1974 in Lake City, SC USA

BR minors page

Biographical Information

The younger brother of Tripp Cromer, D.T. Cromer and minor leaguer Burke Cromer, Brandon Cromer was selected in the 1st round (34 overall) by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1992 amateur draft after a .407 season as a high school senior. He signed for $275,000 and was assigned to the GCL Blue Jays, where he hit .283/~.335/.400. He made the Gulf Coast League All-Star team at shortstop and was rated the league's #2 prospect, between Johnny Damon and Edgar Renteria.

In 1993, Brandon played for the St. Catharines Blue Jays and hit .230/~.284/.331. His slide hit rock bottom with the 1994 Hagerstown Suns when he only managed a .135/.209/.274 campaign, with 35 hits in 259 AB. In 1995, Cromer played for the Dunedin Blue Jays and hit .237/~.325/.343 in a rebound year The next year, the shortstop had a .277/~.392/.440 season with the Knoxville Smokies, collecting 8 triples.

Cromer was part of the nine-player Toronto-Pittsburgh Pirates trade that winter, going to the 'Burgh along with Craig Wilson, Abraham Nunez, Jose Silva, Mike Halperin and Jose Pett in exchange for Orlando Merced, Dan Plesac and Carlos Garcia. He hit .228/~.329/.394 with the Carolina Mudcats and .232/~.291/.421 for the Calgary Cannons in 1997. In '98, Brandon went to the Florida Marlins system and batted .223/~.300/.396 with 15 homers for the Portland Sea Dogs. At age 24, he was still not too old for AA but he was not hitting well and fielded just .903 as an infielder, forcing a move to the outfield.

Cromer next was with the Milwaukee Brewers chain and hit .215/~.300/.476 for the 1999 Louisville Redbirds as a 2B/3B. He whiffed 103 times in 330 AB, but homered 24 times, tied for ninth in the International League, six fewer than his brother hit. In 2000, he only hit .211/.282/.352 for the Indianapolis Indians and .206/.341/.368 for the Huntsville Stars to complete his career.

Sources: 1993-2001 Baseball Almanacs, 1995 Baseball Guide