Gonzalez is cleared

Today, a full week earlier than the expected date, new Boston acquisition Adrian Gonzalez was cleared to swing a bat. Gonzalez was very happy and will be swinging off a tee for the next few days before joining the Sox for BP. I hope that Gonzalez will be fully recovered from his shoulder surgery before the season opens. Adrian is excited to be playing for the Sox, and with his stats, I'm sure the Sox are just as excited. I mean, last year he earned his third consecutive All-Star appearance while finishing fourth in MVP voting. Gonzo smashed 31 homers last year, the fourth consecutive time he has hit 30 or more, and knocked in 101 runs, the third time in five full seasons he has drove in over 100. Meanwhile, he nailed out a .298 average while competing for the NL Triple Crown through part of September. Even better, he kept up a .995 fielding percentage, not quite Youk, but still capable. He seems to be quite the four-tool player, just missing speed. A final stat that might help the Sox: Adrian beat out a .357 average during the postseason in 2006. As a final touch last year, he put up second-bests in slugging, walks, OBP, OPS, and hits, only dwarfed by his 2009 totals.