With deep pain, Twins' C.J. Cron recalls friend, Angels teammate Tyler Skaggs

OAKLAND, CALIF. – C.J. Cron was willing to talk. He waited until all the media had arrived to the visitors' clubhouse so he could speak to them at once. He had time to choose his words and articulate his feelings for someone who was more than a teammate.

But the words were hard to get out when it was time to talk about Tyler Skaggs, the Angels lefthander who died unexpectedly Monday in Southlake, Texas, before a scheduled game with the Rangers.

"I don't necessarily want to talk, but I feel like I owe the man some time," Cron said while trying to remain composed. "He's one of my better friends, man. It's super sad. I feel for all the guys in Anaheim. I can't even imagine being on that team right now. It's just tough."

Cron played with the Angels from 2014 to '17, becoming close with Skaggs during that time. Cron was at Skaggs' wedding last December, and the two had breakfast together in Los Angeles when the Twins played the Angels in late May. That was the last time Cron saw Skaggs, but the two continued to swap text messages.

Twins relievers Blake Parker and Mike Morin were also Skaggs' teammates with the Angels and were close with him, but neither pitcher was ready Tuesday to discuss the tragedy.

And while Cron was willing to speak, he paused a few times while talking with reporters, trying to keep his emotions under control.

"He was a good teammate. One of the guys," Cron said. "One of the core pieces of that team. It's crazy the bonds you kind of create in the clubhouse, you know? We're with these dudes from February until October. They become your brothers. He was a really good dude, man."

"We just talked briefly," Cruz said. "But I got a chance to go and visit the hospital in Anaheim and got to know the type of heart he has. He cared about kids and what impressed me the most was he was always the first one to go ahead and talk to the kids. He got the door open. I was always behind him. That speaks pretty highly of him."

Cron was in the starting lineup Tuesday vs. the Athletics. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli had reached out to all three Twins with close ties to Skaggs on Monday after news broke of his passing. And he planned to visit with them before the game to see if there was anything he could do to help.

"It's devastating. It's incredibly sad," Baldelli said. "I couldn't imagine being the Angels right now. We have several guys that didn't just know Tyler Skaggs but were very, very close with him.

"I don't think this is something the baseball community ever gets over when something like this happens. I think it stays with you for a very long time. All you can do is be there for the people that were there with Tyler Skaggs who have had relationships with him."

Baldelli talks about Adalberto Mejia as if he could be a key weapon in the Twins bullpen, yet the club has not gotten that level of pitching out of the lefthander.

"This is a guy who has thrown strikes and has always had good stuff," Baldelli said. "The last time around, there were some periods of time where he was a little erratic here and there. But really tightening it up to where you call on him you know exactly what you are going to get — and what you want is for him to command the ball around the zone with that good stuff. He's got a good arm and I think when you see the good version of him it gets you excited."

Mejia gave up 11 earned runs over 11⅓ innings before coming down with a right calf strain. He met the Twins on May 30 in Tampa Bay for an assessment, during which he admitted that he was still fighting through some discomfort.

He finally cleared that hurdle and is ready to contribute.

Baldelli said Mejia worked on tightening up things with his delivery that should help him compete. His fastball averaged 93.9 miles per hour to go with a solid slider and changeup, but Mejia has had trouble putting hitters away.

"I feel good overall and I feel good now," Mejia said. "I think the learning process was important for me to be able to get up here and to do the things I have to to stay up here."