MLB Player Profile: Dustin Pedroia
Dustin Luis Pedroia, born on August 17, 1983 is considered to be one of the best basemen currently in Major League Baseball. He represents the Boston Red Sox, a team known for having the best players in its fold.
Pedroia has to his credit several awards in MLB. Among others, he was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2007 and AL MVP award for 2008. His awards and accolades do not stop there, as he has achieved tremendous success throughout his career.
In 2008, he won two awards for being a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove. His batting average in the same year remained second and he hit the headlines for his huge achievements.
However, for his enormous talent, Pedroia was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2004 Major League Baseball Draft’s second round. From there, he did not look back, as he batted .308 at second base and short-stop, proving that he was the right choice for the
team.
His rise to the regular second baseman of the Red Sox came in 2007 where he had to be an ideal substitute for Mark Loretta. He made a name for his relatively low, virtually next to none (only six) errors that season.
He became known for his extraordinary fielding with an average of .990. In the same year, from starting low in the batting, his average started improving and in the July of 2007 he became the Rookie of the Month.
A five hit game that he had against the San Francisco Giants, which was coming along with 13 consecutive hitting games, made him the American League Player of the Week.
A look at the list of his awards below shows how consistently he has performed and won awards. Having been the recipient of so many awards certainly sets him apart from his contemporaries.
In the 2011 regular season, Dustin Pedroia has played a total of 87 games and remaining 342 times at-bats. He has hit 11 home-runs and has 97 hits to his credit with 59 runs, having had the average of .284 OBP of .395 and .442 SLG.
His overall record is indeed impressive since he has never ceased demonstrating the excellence he is famous for. Being known for his strong hits, this second baseman of the Red Sox has so far played 643 games.
Remaining 2532 times at-bat, he has scored 436 runs and 764 hits to his credit, having had 65 home-runs and 297 RBIs with an average of .302 and OBP of .373.
With all the admiration he has won for himself, he also gave an interview which was potentially dangerous in nature and aroused enormous controversy back home. In the interview he called his hometown a “dump” which led to his family being threatened. However,
he was quick to clarify it afterwards.
Controversies apart, the player has remained a permanent source of inspiration for the young players, someone greatly valued and admired by his team-mates, respected by the rivals.
27-year-old Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox has still a lot to offer for the team. In the days to come with the season being in the last stage, he will certainly be looked at for a great performance.
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