No one put up much of a fuss when the Red Sox signed Cody Ross to a one-year, $3 million contract in January.
The 31-year-old outfielder had had his moments, including hitting .294 with five home runs and 10 RBIs in 15 playoff games in the San Francisco Giants' run to the World Series in 2010. He earned National League Championship Series MVP honors along the way.
But Ross had also bounced around a bit — the Red Sox are his sixth team since 2004 — and was coming off a middling 2011 season in which he hit just .240 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs.
None of that has seemed to matter in 2012, as Ross has flourished since opening the season as the team's right fielder. His power numbers are particularly impressive, with 16 home runs, 50 RBIs and a .910 on-base plus slugging percentage despite missing 27 games with a broken foot. He's also developing a flair for the dramatic, as his bat flips after home runs are becoming popular — none more than the one that followed his three-run, walk-off home run to beat the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night.
Ross is hitting one home run every 14.2 at bats. If that rate continues for the rest of the season, he would finish the year with 33 home runs, smashing his career-high of 24, set with the Marlins in 2009.
What do you think? How many home runs will Ross hit this season?
