Bill Crone

William Edward Crone

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 160 lb.

• School West Chester State College
• High School Frederick (MD) High School

• Born August 26, 1958 in Frederick, MD USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Bill Crone played in the minor leagues and for the USA national baseball team.

Crone was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 8th round of the 1979 Amateur Draft, but he didn't sign. He represented the USA when they won Bronze in the 1979 Intercontinental Cup. The Seattle Mariners picked him in the 7th round of the 1980 Amateur Draft, and he hit .274/.407/.400 in 30 games for the San Jose Missions and .222/.343/.233 in 22 games for the Bellingham Mariners in 1980. Crone played 124 games with 21 doubles and a .256/.355/.315 batting line for the Lynn Sailors in 1981. His 26 steals tied Iván Calderón for 5th in the M's system and he was 9th with 70 runs (between Al Chambers and Rob Hobbs). He tied Mark Gilbert for 10th in the Eastern League in swipes and he led second basemen in fielding (.989).

He hit .231/.367/.348 with 7 triples in 109 games for Lynn in 1982, though Harold Reynolds became their primary second sacker. Crone's 7 triples were 4th in the Seattle chain and tied for 4th in the EL. He was promoted to the AAA Salt Lake City Gulls in 1983, and he recorded a .269/.352/.387 batting line in 68 games. He backed up Dave Edler at third, Spike Owen at short and Reynolds at second. He only played 17 games with a .239/.368/.304 batting line in 1984, and he hit .255/.323/.320 in 84 games in 1985 for the Calgary Cannons. Crone collected 20 doubles with a .268/.343/.377 batting line for the Cannons in 1986, and he had a .215/.326/.295 batting line in 62 games for the Tucson Toros (affiliated with the Houston Astros) in 1987. Crone also recorded a .259/.333/.296 batting line for the Buffalo Bisons in the Cleveland Indians system in the same season, and his professional career ended.

In 646 games in the minors, he had hit .251/.350/.336 with 311 walks, 87 steals in 125 tries and 323 runs. He had fielded .984 at 2B, .947 at 3B and .958 at SS and had also played in the outfield, at first and at pitcher.