It's truly hard to believe that
Dustin Pedroia is 34. It seems like just yesterday that this scrappy little guy from Arizona State was struggling to make it in his first stint with the Red Sox (.158 over his first 38 ABs). It was 2007 and then-manager
Terry Francona cautioned fans to give the kid some breathing room:
"He knows he has our support. He does work hard. He has a lot of things in his favor. He's just having a little bit of a tough time at the plate right now." That 'tough time' ended and Pedroia went on to be the
2007 American League Rookie-Of-The-Year. In 2008, he was the
AL MVP. You know the rest of the story.
The Laser Show is currently on the DL—which is clearly the worst "baseball" thing you can do to the guy. He's going bananas. During this "pause", it's instructive to look at his total body of work. Pedroia is now in his 12th season and has compiled a .301 average, with 139 HRs and 716 RBIs. He owns a .367 OBP and an .809 OPS. He's a four-time All-Star and a three-time Gold Glover. And, of course, it's his attitude and style of play that have made him a fan favorite.
Happy birthday, MC!
