Cromartie, Ellis Valentine, and Andre Dawson formed what Expos announcer Duke Snider termed “the best young outfield” he’d ever seen in 1977-79. Only Dawson really lived up to Snider’s billing. Cromartie always hustled but was erratic, prone to long slumps, and was not a power hitter. Extremely popular in Montreal, he hit .304 in 1981 as the Expos won their only division title, then skidded to .254 in ’82. After being platooned in ’83, he signed with the Yomiuri Giants of the Japan Central League. A great success in Japan, he hit over 30 home runs in each of his first three seasons while compiling good batting averages.
