Will Adrian Gonzalez Reach the 25 Home Run Plateau This Season?

by NESN Staff on Fri, Aug 10, 2012 at 11:00AM

Well, it seems Adrian Gonzalez has found his power stroke.

While all of Red Sox Nation was worried about Gonzo’s power at the start of the season, he’s turned it on as of late and now already has as many home runs after the All-Star break as he did before.

After taking Ubaldo Jimenez deep on Thursday night, Gonzalez’s home run total stands at 12. While that might not be an overly impressive number for a clean-up hitter, it’s outstanding considering the first half that Gonzalez had.

Gonzalez just wasn’t himself to start the season, struggling not only with power but also with hitting for average. He was only batting .286 at the All-Star break, but since then has been the catalyst for the Sox while raising that up to .310.

In his five seasons with the Padres, he eclipsed the 30 home run mark four times — playing in Petco, a notorious pitchers’ ballpark. So the consensus opinion was that he would hit even more home runs at Fenway, but that hasn’t necessarily been the case.

The 30-year-old slugger is always among the league leaders in doubles and the same has been the case this season. Hopefully some of those doubles will turn into home runs and Gonzalez will continue his power surge — which the Red Sox desperately need.

How many home runs will Adrian Gonzalez finish the season with?