Dustin Pedroia’s great career has unfortunately, yet expectedly, come to an end.
The second baseman leaves the game firmly established as one of the greatest Red Sox players of all time, and his numbers back it.
Pedroia won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 2007 and backed that by winning the American League MVP Award in 2008. He also won two World Series, four Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger, and went to four All-Star Games during his career.
While Pedroia is listed as having a 14-year career, in reality he played just 11 seasons. He was a late-season call up in 2006 and played in only 31 games. And he was limited to a mere nine games over his last two seasons due to his damaged knee. So, Pedroia’s illustrious career was forged over eleven MLB seasons, and what he did in that span is truly impressive.
From 2007-2017, Pedroia established himself as one of the best all-around players in baseball. Over that span, he slashed .302/.368/.442, with 138 home runs and 138 steals.
His knee troubles began in October 2016, when he had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Then Manny Machado spiked him at second base in April, 2017 and his left knee was never again the same. Pedroia had a total of four knee surgeries in 26 months, but none of them could get him back on the diamond, pain free and fully mobile again.
Through 2017, Pedroia appeared to be on track for the Hall of Fame. But, being limited to just 11 seasons likely derailed his train to Cooperstown. Being held to a mere nine games from 2018-2020, a three-year stretch when he was still in his mid-30s, really limited Pedey's final career numbers and Hall of Fame credentials. If he'd remained healthy, he surely would inflated his stats considerably.
Pedroia finishes his career with a .299/.365/.439 batting line, 140 home runs, 394 doubles, 15 triples, 138 stolen bases, 1,805 hits, 922 runs scored and 725 runs batted in. His career batting average dipped below .300 because he went 2 for 20 in his brief 2019 comeback attempt.
The second baseman totaled 5 wins above replacement (WAR) six times in a nine-year span, including a whopping 8 WAR in 2011, a year in which he finished ninth in the MVP voting.
A player who totals 5 wins above replacement would typically be considered an All-Star and a player with a WAR of 8 or higher is typically an MVP candidate.
Baseball-Reference credits Pedroia with 51.6 wins above replacement. However, the average Hall of Famer has a Baseball-Reference WAR of 63.2.
Additionally, Bobby Grich has a career WAR of 71.1 and Lou Whitaker’s is 75.1. Both were second basemen and neither are in Cooperstown.
Though he may not end up enshrined in the Hall of Fame, Pedroia clearly established himself as one of the greatest players of his generation and one of the greatest Red Sox of all time. And he was surely one of the most popular players of his time, both in Boston and beyond. Those are all fantastic achievements.
Undoubtedly, Pedroia has cemented his place in the Red Sox Hall of Fame, and in the hearts of Red Sox Nation. He had one hell of a career and he was beloved by his teammates, coaches, ownership, and even the Boston media.
That’s all worth celebrating today, and every time we think of the "Laser Show” in the years ahead.
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