Calling Your Son - The Kevin & Chris Cron Story

Aces manager Chris Cron is in his first season in the Biggest Little City. He had managed in the Minor Leagues 19 seasons prior and served as the Arizona Diamondbacks Minor League Hitting Coordinator the last five. He has told hundreds of players they had achieved their life-long dream of going to the Big Leagues and informed players they were to be released. He has won championships, been ejected from games and even watched his oldest son, C.J. Cron, get a hit in his Major League debut.
For Chris, baseball has given him memories to last 10 lifetimes.
When Cron accepted the manager position with Reno in the offseason, he did so knowing he would get the opportunity to manage his youngest son, Kevin.

Kevin was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 14^th round in the 2014 Major League draft out of Texas Christian University. Climbing the MiLB ranks, Kevin displayed raw power and had worked his way into MVP contention in the Pacific Coast League over the first two months of 2019. However, he had never had a Major League promotion.

In an interview before the season began, Chris was asked what it would be like to tell his son he was going to the Major Leagues.
"It'll be a dream come true," said Manager Chris Cron. "Kevin has put in a lot of hard work over his career and for me to be the one that gets to let him know all that work paid off would be special."
With his dad in the same uniform, Kevin saw his hard work translate into success at the Triple-A level. Entering a road trip in El Paso, Texas, Cron had hit a league-best 21 home runs, driven in 62 RBI and was batting .309 over his first 44 games. He earned the PCL Player of the Week on May 19, was a favorite for the PCL Most Valuable Player award and a lock to be an All-Star.  
Then came the night of May 21, 2019
Chris Cron
"You script out how you think you're going to tell your son he's going to the Big Leagues. Those are all just scripted things that could possibly take place."
Kevin Cron (via Steve Gilbert)
"It must have been two or three years ago, I really committed myself to a singular approach and a singular way of going about my business, day in and day out. I think the biggest thing for me has just been the consistency and the way I'm thinking about going about my business, the way I go about my approach, my day-to-day stuff. At some point, it just becomes your normal."
Chris Cron
"I may have sent him a bogus little text saying that his sister was coming into town and we had to get his wife and sister together to do stuff. He kind of figured out that was a made-up story."
Kevin Cron (via Steve Gilbert)
"He came in, first words he said were, 'Let's go, start packing, let's go. I gave him a big hug, starting crying a little bit."
Chris Cron
"That was good (the bogus text message), but the best part of the whole thing was this; I was hugging my 26-year-old son and I heard him crying on my shoulder. Your kids cry all the time until they get to a certain age and then they just don't cry anymore. These were obviously tears of joy. I'm crying. He's crying. You can hear that little sniffle of the nose and that was what made the whole thing."
Kevin Cron (via Steve Gilbert)
Five minutes later I'm out the door with my suitcase, clothes unfolded, thrown in the bag, it was awesome. I ran it through my head hundreds of times growing up about how it would happen, and none of those hundred ever included my dad being the one to tell me. Something very special for both of us, for sure. This is something I've dreamt about forever. You don't ever really expect it to happen, but once it does, you're like, 'This is out of this world.' Yesterday, I was waking up looking at the desert in El Paso, and last night I'm driving in, seeing exits for the Golden Gate Bridge. It's pretty special. I'm excited to be here."
With his father in the stands, Kevin recorded his first Major League hit on May 25^th against the San Francisco Giants.
It won't be the last baseball memory for the Cron's, but it will undoubtedly be one of the best.