That's precisely what Adrian Gonzalez is doing this year for the Red Sox, as he's exceeded the sky-high expectations that were placed on him when he joined Boston as the centerpiece of a major offseason trade.
The first baseman, coming off shoulder surgery in the winter, has played in 89 of the Red Sox' 90 games. He's hitting .354 at the All-Star break, which ties him with Jose Reyes for best in MLB (Reyes has played in nine fewer games). Gonzalez also leads the majors with 77 RBIs, putting him on pace for the high 130s on the season. No Red Sox player has topped 130 since David Ortiz in 2006.
Gonzalez may not be able to catch Jose Bautista in the home run race to win the Triple Crown, but he may very well be the best hitter in baseball right now.
By the time the season ends, Gonzalez will almost assuredly find himself on the list of the greatest debut seasons in Red Sox history. Until then, check out who he'll share that company with.
Click here to go through the greatest debut seasons in Red Sox history >>
Special thanks to NESN's Paul Carroll for his knowledge and research in generating this list.
