Marc Jason Kroon (born April 2, 1973) is an American former right-handed
relief pitcher
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...
. He served as the
closer for the
Yomiuri Giants
The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...
of
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
's
Central League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consist ...
.
Career
He was drafted 72nd overall by the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
in 1991. The Mets traded him to the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...
in 1993 as the
player to be named later
In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...
in an earlier trade for
Frank Seminara. The Padres traded Kroon to the
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
for
Buddy Carlyle
Earl Lester "Buddy" Carlyle (born December 21, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current coach. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankee ...
in April 1998.
Kroon retired following elbow surgeries and did not play baseball at any level in 2001 or 2002. He came out of retirement and joined the
Anaheim Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...
organization in 2003 after coach
Mike Butcher's brother-in-law saw him giving a pitching lesson in a park.
Kroon joined the
Yokohama BayStars
The are a professional baseball team in the Japan, Japanese Central League. Their home field is Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The team has been known by several names since becoming a professional team in 1950. It adopted its c ...
in 2005. After the 2007 season, Kroon and the BayStars failed to come to terms on a new contract, and ended up being a
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
. Kroon was later signed by the
Yomiuri Giants
The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...
along with two other major non-Japanese free agents: former
Tokyo Yakult Swallows
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Yom ...
standouts
Seth Greisinger
Seth Adam Greisinger (born July 29, 1975) is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball from –.
Amateur career
Greisinger graduated from McLean High School in Virginia, then played his college ball at the Univer ...
, and
Alex Ramirez
Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis.
People
Multiple
* Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people
* Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people
* Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple ...
.
In 2008, Kroon led the
Central League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consist ...
in
saves with 41. He also broke his own record of pitching to 162 km/h (101 mph).
Kroon signed a minor league contract with an invitation for spring training with the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
in 2011. Kroon was reassigned to triple-A
Fresno Grizzlies
The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in do ...
at the end of spring training.
Kroon was featured in the
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
television production ''
The Franchise
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...
''.
On March 8, 2012, Kroon retired.
Personal life
His son, Matt, is an infielder in the Philadelphia Phillies organization.
References
External links
*
*Archived version of Marc Kroon'
websitewhile in Japan
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kroon, Marc
1973 births
Living people
Major League Baseball pitchers
Colorado Rockies players
San Diego Padres players
Cincinnati Reds players
African-American baseball players
American expatriate baseball players in Japan
Yokohama BayStars players
Yomiuri Giants players
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players
Memphis Chicks players
Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players
Indianapolis Indians players
Arizona League Mariners players
Tacoma Rainiers players
Albuquerque Dukes players
Arkansas Travelers players
Salt Lake Stingers players
Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
Baseball players from the Bronx
Capital City Bombers players
Fresno Grizzlies players
Gulf Coast Mets players
Kingsport Mets players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American sportspeople