Sox Lock Up Pedroia

It's a six year deal for about $40.5 million and a club option for 2015. UPDATE: Just a quick opinion on this deal. I think Pedroia was the most vital young player the Red Sox have to get locked up long term. Corner infielders are easy to comeby on the free agent market as are starting pitchers. MVP calliber second basemen don't come around everyday. I expect Jonathan Papelbon and Kevin Youkilis have deals coming this winter, possibly Jon Lester too, but Lester may get left waiting for one more offseason.

Pedroia Wins MVP

At this time two years ago, many in Boston doubted the abilities of Dustin Pedroia, the one man who's opinion mattered stuck by him then and again in the early parts of the 2007 when it appeared Pedroia was in over his head. By the end of that season Pedroia was the American League Rookie of the Year and all doubt was gone from the minds of Sox fans from coast-to-coast. If somewhere there was a doubter remaining, there no longer is. Today Dustin Pedroia joined an elite class of Red Sox player to have won an American League Most Valuable Player award when he won a rather easy battle against Justin Morneau, Kevin Youkilis and Joe Mauer. Pedroia was named first on 16 of the 28 ballots, and amazingly one voter felt Pedroia wasn't among the 10 most valuable players of 2008. Pedroia becomes only the third player to win ROY and MVP in back-to-back seasons, though others have won both in the same season. The second baseman in just his second full season has already collected a great deal of awards. 2007 American League Rookie of the Year 2007 World Series Champion 2008 American League MVP 2008 American League Silver Slugger Award 2008 American League Gold Glove 2008 American League All-Star Starter

Pedroia Receives Rookie Award

Dustin Pedroia was officially presented with his 2007 American League Rookie of the Year award. The award was presented by future Hall of Famer Craig Biggio who retired this offseason after playing for the Houston Astros.

Rookie Of The Year!

Dustin Pedroia was named the American League Rookie of the Year Monday. Pedroia won the award easily. Several sports site comment sections have been ridiculing the choice saying Delmon Young was the more deserving rookie, however statistics do not back up that argument. In fact if one looked at the statistics they would ask why Pedroia wasn't a unanimous choice. The traditional money categories, home runs and RBI were in favor of Young, but he also had two advantages. First he had 120 more at bats then Pedroia and he also batted in a spot that had a lot of RBI opportunities. The differential in home runs wasn't that great. Pedroia had eight for Boston while Young had 13 for the Rays. So where did Pedroia win the award? His great defense at second base was one area that helped, but his bat did a lot of talking too. Pedroia scored 21 more runs then Young, 86-65. He also had one more double then Young, remember in 120 less at bats. Pedroia also excelled with his eye, he had 47 walks, but just 42 strikeouts. Meantime Young only had 26 walks and struck out 127 times. Young had advantages in hits 186-165, and stolen bases 10-7. Again this was with 120 extra at bats. What does all this come out to? For Pedroia it was a .317 average with a .380 OBP and a slugging percent of .442. For Young? .288, .316, .408. Advantage Pedroia. Seriously how can anyone make an argument for a guy with a .316 OBP? And to add to that the fact that Young had five more homers proved unimportant as Pedroia still slugged 34 points higher. Ladies and Gentleman, there wasn't and never should have been any doubt who deserved this award.

Pedroia Has Surgery

Dustin Pedroia played the final two months of the season with a broken hand helping the Sox capture their second World Series title in four years. The broken bone was the same as what kept Wily Mo Pena out for two months back in 2006. Pedroia doesn't know when he suffered the break but it was revealed in an MRI in early September. “Some days I would wake up and it would be hard to grip a bat,” Pedroia said. “I changed my grip a little bit on the bat and went from there. It was just one of those things you know you have to take care of after the season, but you have to play through. A lot of guys have done that. You definitely don’t want to shut it down and have surgery during the whole thing. We just had to find a way to fight through it.” He's restricted from using the hand until early December. It's possible he suffered the break on August 22 when Tampa Bay's Edwin Jackson hit him on the hand, Pedroia left that game but didn't miss any time.

What A Day

The Boston Red Sox have had a day more eventful then a team will usually work through, and Boston's day is only half over. We start with Clay Buchholz making his MLB debut today. He went 6 innings striking out five while allowing four runs (three earned). David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia homered for the Sox as they beat the Angels 8-4 in the first game of a double header. Doug Mirabelli started the game but left after the first with a leg injury. Jason Varitek who was to start the night game came in to catch thus throwing the front office into a frenzy. Needing a catcher to catch the nightcap, Boston got on the phone with the Pawtucket Red Sox to get Kevin Cash on his way to Boston, problem though, the Paw Sox aren't at home today so Cash is beating the clock trying to get to Fenway from Ottawa in time for the game. Mirabelli was placed on the disabled list and the Sox have an open spot on the 25-man roster so there's no problem working Cash in. The problem earlier today involved making room for Clay Buchholz and the Jacoby Ellsbury after Buchholz was sent down after the first game. To make that move Boston dealt Wily Mo Pena to Washington for a player to be named and cash considerations. The deal will likely involve someone on Washington's 40-man roster so the deal can't be finalized until after the season because of trade waivers. Notes: The Red Sox first five batters combined for a cycle in the first inning today... Julian Tavarez will start Sunday and Tim Wakefield is pushed back to Monday at Tampa Bay, he's 18-2 career versus the Rays... Varitek will catch Wakefield Monday... Bobby Kielty will take Ellsbury's roster spot Saturday... Ellsbury and Buchholz are both expected to rejoin the Sox on September 1... Ellsbury is leading off in the night game tonight.

Who Is The American League Rookie Of The Year?

Many months ago I made a very foolish comment with my Rookie of the Year prediction. I stated that the award was Delmon Young's to lose. It's not that I didn't have faith in rookie second baseman Dustin Pedroia or Japanese import Daisuke Matsuzaka, it was because unlike Pedroia Delmon Young had a solid late season call up with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. As I write this and look back I realize that I put to much emphasis on the late season call ups, Pedroia is far and away the best rookie in the American League this year. Pedroia's .328 average and solid defense is more then enough to lead him to the award this fall, but the question remains, how good is he? We all know the early season struggles Pedroia suffered through, it was as painful for the Red Sox fans who stood by him as much as it was for Pedroia himself. Yet manager Terry Francona stood by his young second baseman and it has paid off big time. Since the Red Sox traveled to Minnesota May 5, Pedroia has been on a tear through American League pitching, but can you call three and a half months a tear or perhaps what it really is, the real Pedroia playing to his everyday potential after the horrible baptism to Major League baseball. If we were to wipe April and the first two games of May from his stat sheet Pedroia suddenly is a .358 hitter with a .415 OBP. Delmon Young is batting .293 with only four more home runs then Pedroia, and Young is advertised as a power hitting outfielder who many expected to have displayed much more power this season then he has, he also has two less runs scored then Pedroia. THe only thing in the way of Pedroia winning the Rookie of the Year award is going to be a possible vote split with Daisuke Matsuzaka, aside from that they can engrave his name on the award now.