James Cronin

James Thatcher Cronin

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 175 lb.
• High School Grosse Pointe High School
• Born January 1, 1925 in Grosse Pointe, MI USA
• Died March 9, 2014 in Simpsonville, SC USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

James Cronin played in the Detroit Tigers minor league system from 1947 to 1952. Consistently solid, he had 100 or more hits each year from 1947 to 1951 and he whacked double-digit home runs each campaign from 1948 to 1951.

Cronin served in the US Navy during World War II. He hit .298/?/.408 for the 1947 Thomasville Tigers in his pro debut. He batted .252 and slugged .407 for the '48 Rome Colonels. He was 6th in the Canadian-American League with 15 home runs. In 1949, he was closer to home with the Flint Arrows and posted a batting average of .276, slugging percentage of .464 and 14 dingers. He tied Harry Schmiel for 6th in the Central League in long balls.

The next year, with the Arrows, he hit a career-high .299/.417/.491 with 15 home runs, 78 runs and 70 RBI in 111 games. His 26 outfield assists easily paced the CL, 11 ahead of #2 Joe Rowell. He tied Jim Fridley for 8th in homers. In 1951, he slugged .501 with 19 home runs in 123 games for the Little Rock Travelers. He also hit .274 in his AA debut. He tied Babe Barna for 8th in the Southern Association in dingers; only one player with more never played in the majors (Halbert Simpson). In 1952, James struggled with the Travelers (.202/.336/.351 in 30 G) and Williamsport Tigers (.205/.313/.291 in 109 G). His 18 assists for Williamsport tied Bill Virdon for the lead among Eastern League outfielders (and he had 5 more for Little Rock) but he also led with 13 errors and his .943 fielding percentage was the worst among EL flyhawks with 50+ games.

Overall, he hit .265 with 677 hits and 76 home runs in 677 hits over six seasons.

He was a detective in the Grosse Point police force for 29 years.

Sources

• 1951 and 1953 Baseball Guides
• Obituary