Ray Crone

From BR Bullpen

Raymond Hayes Crone

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 2", Weight 185 lb.

Debut April 13, 1954
Final Game July 14, 1958
Born August 7, 1931 in Memphis, TN USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Before the 1949 season Ray Crone signed as an amateur free agent with the Boston Braves. The 18 year old right hander would then be assigned to the class D Owensboro Oilers of the Kitty League where he went 9-3 with a 2.93 ERA. He would be back the following season with the class B Evansville Braves where he went 11-9 with a 3.62 ERA.

Ray would spend the next few years climbing up the minor league ladder and after a solid year in 1953 with the class A Jacksonville Braves, where he tied for the league lead in wins with 19, pitching 253 innings and had a 2.38 ERA, the major league Milwaukee Braves would give him a look in 1954. Ray would get into 19 games go 1-0, pitching 49 innings, with a 2.02 ERA. He was also with the AAA Toledo Mud Hens in '54 going 7-3 with a 3.00 ERA.

Crone would again be with the Braves in 1955 and show a 10-9 record with a 3.46 ERA while pitching 140 innings. He would be back with Milwaukee in 1956 winning 11 and losing 10 in 170 innings with a 3.87 ERA. Ray would again be with the Braves the following year, go 3-1 with a 4.46 ERA and on June 15, he would be traded to the New York Giants along with Danny O'Connell and Bobby Thomson for Red Schoendienst.

Crone would finish out the 1957 season with the Giants going 4-8 in 25 games, pitching 121 innings and listing a 4.33 ERA. In 1958 the team would move to San Francisco and Ray would go 1-2 in 14 outings with a 6.75 ERA and he would finish the year with the AAA Toronto Maple Leafs, where he went 0-2 in 7 outings. There would be no more major league time for Crone and he finished up that part of his baseball career, winning 30 and losing 30, pitching 543 innings and ending with a career 3.87 ERA.

Only 27 years old Ray stuck with the game for three more seasons, all in the high minors, finishing his pro baseball career after 13 active seasons in 1961 with the Jacksonville Jets of the class A South Atlantic League. His minor league stats show that the right hander appeared in 234 games, winning 90 and losing 77, pitching 1,336 innings, allowing 1,326 base hits and 560 base on balls for a career 3.21 ERA.

A resident of Waxahachie, TX, he was a scout in Texas and Oklahoma for the Baltimore Orioles for 20 years and as of this writing (January 2009) he currently scouts for the San Diego Padres.