I have to credit this post to Mario at Waxheaven. I’ve known about him since 2005 when he came up in the Dodgers organization. For the longest time he slugged his way around the minor leagues just like Marcus Thames did, just hammering the minors for homers. He was drafted in 1999 by the Tigers in the 4th round right out of high school. By 2001 he was a 0.280/15/80 guy in the minors (at 20 years old).
While in the minors here was his numbers by the years:
2001 – 0.276/15/80/28
2002 – 0.280/19/72/16
2003 – 0.287/20/61/15
2004 – 0.273/14/49 (238 at bats)
2005 – 0.267/22/63
So they promoted him to the majors, where he sat on the bench and hit homers when needed. In 2006 he was given a shot at starting for the Marlins (by way of the Dodgers and Reds). He went 0.227/13/46 as a 4th outfielder for the Marlins. In 2007, he got more at bats and became a more consistent hitter by going 0.335/12/39.
So this was a big year for him, he just turned 27 which is the optimal time for his peak year to hit. The Marlins had some issues with injuries and poor performances this year and Ross finally got his shot at the bigs and through 218 at bats he is 0.266/15/47, which could translate to 0.270/25/90 season.
What are we to expect from him? Is he going to be a one hit wonder? I don’t think so, with the proper amount of at bats, he could become a permanent staple in the Marlins outfield. It’s not like Maybin is cranking it up in AA. Everyone else out there with the exception of Willingham has failed miserably. Why not start Ross? His numbers will be there, just give him the time.
The best thing about Ross is that he is going for the cheap on eBay. I haven’t stumbled across an autograph of his that I couldn’t get for 99 cents. I’m not telling you to load up on him, but why not get an auto of a guy that is going to be a 0.280/25/90 guy? He’ll be solid, no reason he should be in the dollar bin. Here are some examples of his autograph cards:
