SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Marc Kroon played professional baseball for nearly two decades. He reached the big leagues with the Padres, Reds and Rockies. He racked up 177 saves in Japan, setting the record for hardest throw at 102 mph. But his most famous strikeout might have been in 1994, when he joined the Sun Cities Solar Sox in 1994, the third year of the Arizona Fall League’s existence.
That fateful fall, Kroon was a 21-year-old flamethrower with a bright future in baseball, one that ultimately took a long and winding path. But whatever he accomplished throughout his career, he will always remember sniffing out baseball newcomer Michael Jordan and then sheepishly asking him to sign his sneakers (Jordan did do).
Nearly 30 years later, Kroon has returned to AFL homeland. He is neither a coach nor a recruiter; he is here as a father. His son Masta Phillies prospect, spent the fall playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions.
The elder Kroon moved from the Bronx to Arizona in high school and eventually made his home here. Matt, now 26, went to Horizon High School, a baseball school in Scottsdale that produced great players like Tommy Joseph and AFL legend Brandon Wood. He had his own tortuous journey in baseball, going from Oregon to Central Arizona College to Oklahoma State before signing with the Phillies as an 18th-round pick in 2018. He dominated 100 games in one season only once, in 2019, with a variety of injuries slowing his progress significantly, to the point where he believed using the AFL as a springboard had passed him by.
“I heard about Fall League, I always paid attention to Fall League,” said Kroon, 26, who is coming off his best professional season, posting a .925 OPS over 97 games, mostly with Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. “When I got to the minor leagues with the Phillies in 2018, the Arizona Fall League was definitely something I wanted to do. When I turned 25, 26 and I wasn’t there went, it kind of left my mind, I left my thought process. I had kind of moved on to the question “What do I need to do to get to the big leagues?” I ruled out the Arizona Fall League of my plan.
“I never really thought, with my age at this point in my career, that I would be a part of it, but I’m very grateful to be.”
Marc too, now 50 years old. All Phillies affiliates are on the East Coast, and he has traveled to watch the middle of his three children (Matt has an older brother, MJ, who is 28, and a younger sister, Madison, who is 16) plays . And he watched tons of games on MiLB.TV. He wouldn’t have much in-person time with Matt until the offseason, when Matt would return to Scottsdale and live in the guest house behind Kroon’s house. Now he has his son home every day AND can go to the stadium regularly to watch him in action.
“To me it’s amazing,” Marc said. “I can drive down the street here. And like last night, it was pretty special at the football game because my mom got a chance to go take a picture with him after the game. She doesn’t have the opportunity to go in person very often. , but she watches every game. For him to be able to play in front of his friends and family, it’s a good feeling. So it’s just nice to just be able to watch my son play live and not on the computer.”
Matt sees both sides of the coin of playing at home, although it’s clear that the pros outweigh the cons.
“It’s good because I know how much energy and support I get from my family on this side of the country, how they are with me and it doesn’t matter if I’m in the box in Reading, Pennsylvania, or if I am in the club here in Scottsdale, I know I have their support.
“But at the same time, it’s an added pressure, it’s wanting to do a lot better for them. It puts you in a bit of a funk sometimes. But other than that, I’m enjoying my time, I’m enjoying it. opportunity to play in front of them.”
Matt had already learned a lot from his father about the game, and especially not about the on-field aspects. Part of it is just an example, seeing what his father went through and where he went to play the game.
“I think it made me realize that this game is not a walk in the park,” Matt said. “Just because you’re talented, just because you have God-given abilities, doesn’t mean you’re going to end up on the big stage. You have to put in the work.”
“I can’t help him much in terms of technique or form,” Marc said. “We have conversations about the mental part of the game and we’ve been doing it since he was young. It’s my way of trying to help him stay positive, stay focused. He does a great job doing it .”
These almost daily conversations run the gamut from baseball talk (two players talking shop is how Matt characterized it) to more in-depth discussions about life. It’s clear that they navigate the father-son, former player-current player dynamic quite skillfully.
When Marc talks about Matt, or his other two children for that matter, he doesn’t approach him at all like a former player. He leads with him as a parent, and he held back tears when talking about his three children.
“This is what my children mean to me,” Marc said. “I’m proud of him. And he’s going to get there. I know he’s going to get there. It’s a tough match.
“But like I told him, I don’t care if you play in the big leagues, and I would give up all these jerseys today so my son could spend at least one day in the big leagues. I’ll love him. whatever. At the end of the day, I’m a dad first and that’s what I try to be proud of.”
“Throughout this whole baseball journey, my dad was my best friend,” said an equally emotional Matt. “He’s the person I turn to when I find myself in difficult situations. He’s the first person I want to call when something good happens.”
This is not to say that competitors from each of them never show up. Marc was never all-in against his son, but when asked who would win a match, Marc at his peak against current Matt, both puffed out their chests a bit.
“As long as I don’t miss the first two fastballs,” Matt said, claiming a hypothetical victory. “If I get to the splitter, it’s probably over. But if I get one of those two fastballs, I’d probably win.”
“I’d say I’ll hit you. I’ll hit you on three pitches,” Marc replied. “But the reality is because I threw hard at my peak and his strength is right center, he’s going to have a chance.”
