Dustin Pedroia

He was the first-ever Red Sox second baseman to win a Silver Slugger Award, the first Red Sox second baseman to win a Gold Glove since Doug Griffin in 1972, and the first second baseman to win an American League MVP Award since Nellie Fox in 1959.

He hit .326 with 17 home runs over 726 PAs, for a 127 wRC+.

Dustin Luis Pedroia (born August 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball second baseman who played his entire Major League Baseball career for the Boston Red Sox, from 2006 to 2019.

Pedroia was selected by the Red Sox in the 2004 MLB draft and made his major league debut in 2006.

Pedroia was drafted by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2004 MLB draft, with the 65th pick overall.

Pedroia, the eighth shortstop drafted, received a $575,000 signing bonus.

During three seasons in Minor League Baseball, Pedroia batted .308 while playing second base and shortstop.

He spent 2004 with the Class A Augusta GreenJackets and Class A-Advanced Sarasota Red Sox, part of 2005 with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs, and parts of 2005 and 2006 with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox.

After a brief call-up in 2006, when he hit just .191 in 89 at-bats, Pedroia became the regular second baseman for the Red Sox in 2007 replacing Mark Loretta.

Pedroia suffered through an early-season hitting slump, but recovered, later putting up a 13-game hitting streak and a five-hit game against the Giants.

He notably made a diving stop to preserve fellow rookie Clay Buchholz's no-hitter on September 1.

He was a four-time All-Star, and won the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award in 2007 and the AL Most Valuable Player and Silver Slugger Award in 2008.

He became a full-time player in 2007, winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award.

He was a member of the Red Sox World Series championship teams in 2007 and 2013.

Pedroia was the last player from the 2007 World Series team to leave the club.

Pedroia won the AL Rookie of the Year award and was selected to the 2007 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team.

The Red Sox played the Indians in the 2007 ALCS.

In Game 7 of the series, Pedroia homered and doubled, collecting five RBI to secure the Red Sox' spot in the World Series, to face the Rockies.

Pedroia homered in the first at bat of the series, making him only the second player, and the first rookie, to lead off the Series with a home run.

The Red Sox went on to win their second World Series title in four seasons – and the first World Series championship for Pedroia.

Pedroia performed very well during the 2008 regular season, and received AL MVP, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.

He has also received four Gold Glove Awards and was named AL Defensive Player of the Year in 2013.

A knee injury late in the 2017 season marked the end of his effective play.

After playing in only nine major league games over the 2018 and 2019 seasons, including missing the 2018 postseason, he also missed all of the shortened 2020 season.

He announced his retirement on February 1, 2021.

Pedroia was a proficient contact hitter with a very low strikeout rate and "a surprising amount of power," whose defense at second base has been rated significantly above-average.

Pedroia was the first Red Sox infielder to win four Gold Gloves.

Born and raised in Woodland, California, northwest of Sacramento, Pedroia's parents operated a tire shop where they worked 14-hour days.

His mother, Debbie Pedroia, played tennis at Sacramento City College.

Pedroia's older brother, Brett, played baseball as a catcher at Shasta College.

Pedroia attended Woodland High School and played football and baseball.

His football career ended as a freshman quarterback; a hit from future All-Pro NFL linebacker Lance Briggs shattered his ankle.

As a senior baseball player, Pedroia did not strike out all season, compiled a .445 batting average and was chosen as his league's most valuable player.

Pedroia attended Arizona State University (ASU), where he played college baseball for the Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team.

He was teammates with Ian Kinsler and Andre Ethier.

Kinsler and Pedroia competed for the shortstop position at ASU.

Ultimately, Pedroia stayed at shortstop, while Kinsler ended up at second base before transferring to the University of Missouri.

In three years at ASU, Pedroia never hit below .347 and had a career average of .384, starting all 185 games.

To help ASU recruit better pitchers, Pedroia also relinquished the last two years of his athletic scholarship.

He was named ASU On Deck Circle Most Valuable Player; other winners have included Ike Davis, Willie Bloomquist, Paul Lo Duca, and Barry Bonds.