 |
View Old Forum Thread
Old Forum Index » Baseball League Forums » Speed Leagues » Dustin Pedroia League » Dustin Pedroia Biography
Metallica1828
Personal:
Dustin Luis Pedroia (born August 17, 1983, in Woodland, California) is a Major League Baseball second baseman for the Boston Red Sox. During his brief career in the majors, Pedroia has won several awards, including the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year and the 2008 AL MVP award. He also won a Silver Slugger as a second baseman, and a Gold Glove in 2009. He was also second overall in the AL in batting average in 2008.
Pedroia is listed by Major League Baseball and the Red Sox as 5' 9" (175 cm) and 180 pounds. In 2003 a USA Today article gave his height as 5' 7" (170 cm), and when he was in college the NCAA and Arizona State University gave his height as 5' 6".
High School and College:
Pedroia attended Woodland Senior High School in Woodland, California. Pedroia batted .445 his senior year and was chosen as his league's most valuable player.
Pedroia went to Arizona State University, where he was teammates with current Texas Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler. Kinsler and Pedroia battled for the shortstop position; 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. Furthermore, to help ASU recruit better pitchers, Pedroia 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.
Minor Leagues:
Pedroia was drafted by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft, with the 65th pick overall. Pedroia, the eighth shortstop drafted, received a $575,000 signing bonus.
In two years in the minors (2004?06), Pedroia batted .308 while playing second base and shortstop
Major Leagues:
2006 Regular Season
Pedroia collected his first Major League hit in his first game in the majors, on August 22, 2006, against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Pedroia earned his first major league home run on September 9, 2006, against Kansas City Royals pitcher Luke Hudson. He wore number 64 in 2006; at the start of the 2007 season he switched to his current number, 15. Pedroia finished the season with a low .191 average with 2 home runs and 7 RBIs.
2007 Regular Season
Pedroia became the regular second baseman for the Red Sox in 2007 replacing Mark Loretta. His defense in 2007 was solid, with six errors and a fielding percentage of .990. Early in the season, though, his batting average was as low as .172 (on May 1); that average, combined with the hitting of teammate Alex Cora, hitting .316 through the end of May, left Pedroia in a platoon role. Pedroia's batting improved quickly, however: by June 18, his average was .322, aided by a 13-game hitting streak, and a five-hit game against the San Francisco Giants on June 15, 2007. Because of that production, he was named American League Player of the Week for May 28?June 3, 2007, and AL Rookie of the Month for May 2007. His most notable play of the season, though, may have been a diving stop in the seventh inning of fellow rookie Clay Buchholz's September 1, 2007 no-hitter.
Pedroia won the AL Rookie of the Year award, and was selected to the 2007 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team.
2007 Playoffs
Dustin Pedroia entered the 2007 American League Division Series batting .317 with 8 home runs and 50 RBI in 139 regular season games with the Red Sox. In the ALDS, Pedroia struggled, getting only 2 hits in 3 games against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Though Pedroia struggled in the lead-off spot for the Red Sox, Boston cruised past the Angels 3 games to 0 to advance to the American League Championship Series, where they met the Cleveland Indians.
In the ALCS, Pedroia heated up, batting .395. In the 7th game, Pedroia hit a 2-run homer into the Green Monster seats in the 7th inning and had 5 RBI. He then hit a 3-run double in the bottom of the 8th to help the Red Sox secure the series and a spot in the World Series.
Entering the 2007 World Series against the Colorado Rockies, Dustin Pedroia was one of two rookies starting (with center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury) for the American League champion Red Sox. These two rookies jump started the Red Sox offense. Pedroia only saw one pitch in his first World Series at-bat before he took Rockie ace Jeff Francis' pitch over the Green Monster. This made him only the second player (and the first rookie) to lead off the Series with a home run. The only other player to lead off a World Series with a home run was Baltimore's Don Buford against Tom Seaver and the 1969 New York Mets. After winning the first two games of the World Series, the Red Sox entered Game 3 making history by having two rookies bat first and second in the line-up. Ellsbury and Pedroia combined for 7 hits, 3 runs, and drove in 4 more to help the Sox take the first three games of the Series. The Red Sox won Game 4 and swept the Colorado Rockies to win their seventh World Series title. Dustin Pedroia hit .278 with 5 hits, 1 home run with 4 runs batted in in the Series.
2008 Regular Season
During the 2008 season, Red Sox manager Terry Francona noted that Pedroia, like Mike Lowell and Alex Cora, was willing to play catcher in emergencies.
Pedroia ended the season with a .326 average with 17 home runs, 83 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases. He was tied for the MLB lead in hits with 213 and led the league in doubles (54), while leading the AL in runs scored (118), making him the first player to lead all three of those categories in the same season since Cal Ripken in 1983. Pedroia came in second in the AL in batting average (.326) behind Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer (.328), fourth in the AL in total bases (322), and seventh in the AL in extra-base hits (73). His 20 stolen bases in 21 attempts helped Pedroia lead MLB in stolen base percentage (.952). With only 6 errors in 773 plays at second base, Pedroia was second in the AL in fielding percentage by a second baseman (.992), behind Mark Ellis (.993, OAK), who had almost 200 fewer total chances.
Following the season, Pedroia won the 2008 AL MVP (the first by an American League second baseman since Nellie Fox in 1959) as well as the AL Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award for second base. He is the 10th player in the history of the Red Sox to capture the AL MVP and the 8th player in AL history to win the MVP, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger awards in the same season. Pedroia became only the third player in MLB history to win Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in consecutive seasons (others have won both in the same season) joining Cal Ripken Jr. and Ryan Howard.
2008 Playoffs
Pedroia was hitless through the first three games of the 2008 ALDS. His sole hit was an RBI double that drove in Jason Varitek in the 5th inning of game 4. He batted 2nd in all 4 games in the series, behind Jacoby Ellsbury. Pedroia made one of the best defensive plays of the series with a diving throw to first base to retire Vladimir Guerrero in the third inning of game 4. The Red Sox went on to win in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4 again knocking the Angels out of the playoffs.
The Angels contained Pedroia in the Division Series, but in the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays, Pedroia was red hot. In 26 trips to the plate in the LCS, Pedroia collected 9 hits including three home runs and a double. However, his impressive line that included a .346 batting average and .731 slugging percentage wasn't enough to propel the Red Sox into the World Series as the rest of the team struggled to a .234 batting average against the impressive Tampa pitching staff.
2009 Regular Season
On December 3, 2008, Pedroia signed a six-year contract extension worth $40.5 million, in addition to a team option for 2015 worth $11 million. Dustin Pedroia announced on December 15, 2008 that he would play for the United States team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
He also recorded the first Major League hit in Citi Field history when he hit a bloop double down the right field line in an April 3 exhibition game against the New York Mets. He hit a home run in his first at bat of the 2009 season. Dustin was selected to the 2009 All Star Game on July 5.
Pedroia was selected to be the starting second baseman for the 2009 AL All Star Team. The weekend prior to the game, however, he withdrew from the team. Pedroia stated that he wanted to stay with his wife, Kelli, who was experiencing pregnancy complications with the couple's first child. The same issue had caused him to miss a regular season game prior to the All Star break.
Pedroia achieved his first multi-home run game on September 9, 2009, against the Baltimore Orioles.
On October 11, 2009, Pedroia popped out to short against Brian Fuentes to end the Red Sox season in game 3 of the American League Division Series.
For the second consecutive year, Pedroia led the American League in Runs Scored with 115 (2nd in MLB behind Albert Pujols who had 124 runs scored). He finished third in the AL / MLB with 48 doubles.
2010 Regular Season
After MLB umpire Joe West made controversial statements regarding the speed of play between the Red Sox and Yankees, Pedroia responded by saying "What he doesn't understand is that when we don't do well in these games against the Yankees, we get killed. If he doesn't want to do Red Sox and Yankee games, he should tell the umpires' union. Then when we're in the World Series, he'll be out of that assignment, too."
[Edited on 5-20-2010 by Metallica1828]
Dustin Pedroia Biography
May 20, 2010 at 12:10AM View BBCode
From WikipediaPersonal:
Dustin Luis Pedroia (born August 17, 1983, in Woodland, California) is a Major League Baseball second baseman for the Boston Red Sox. During his brief career in the majors, Pedroia has won several awards, including the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year and the 2008 AL MVP award. He also won a Silver Slugger as a second baseman, and a Gold Glove in 2009. He was also second overall in the AL in batting average in 2008.
Pedroia is listed by Major League Baseball and the Red Sox as 5' 9" (175 cm) and 180 pounds. In 2003 a USA Today article gave his height as 5' 7" (170 cm), and when he was in college the NCAA and Arizona State University gave his height as 5' 6".
High School and College:
Pedroia attended Woodland Senior High School in Woodland, California. Pedroia batted .445 his senior year and was chosen as his league's most valuable player.
Pedroia went to Arizona State University, where he was teammates with current Texas Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler. Kinsler and Pedroia battled for the shortstop position; 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. Furthermore, to help ASU recruit better pitchers, Pedroia 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.
Minor Leagues:
Pedroia was drafted by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft, with the 65th pick overall. Pedroia, the eighth shortstop drafted, received a $575,000 signing bonus.
In two years in the minors (2004?06), Pedroia batted .308 while playing second base and shortstop
Major Leagues:
2006 Regular Season
Pedroia collected his first Major League hit in his first game in the majors, on August 22, 2006, against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Pedroia earned his first major league home run on September 9, 2006, against Kansas City Royals pitcher Luke Hudson. He wore number 64 in 2006; at the start of the 2007 season he switched to his current number, 15. Pedroia finished the season with a low .191 average with 2 home runs and 7 RBIs.
2007 Regular Season
Pedroia became the regular second baseman for the Red Sox in 2007 replacing Mark Loretta. His defense in 2007 was solid, with six errors and a fielding percentage of .990. Early in the season, though, his batting average was as low as .172 (on May 1); that average, combined with the hitting of teammate Alex Cora, hitting .316 through the end of May, left Pedroia in a platoon role. Pedroia's batting improved quickly, however: by June 18, his average was .322, aided by a 13-game hitting streak, and a five-hit game against the San Francisco Giants on June 15, 2007. Because of that production, he was named American League Player of the Week for May 28?June 3, 2007, and AL Rookie of the Month for May 2007. His most notable play of the season, though, may have been a diving stop in the seventh inning of fellow rookie Clay Buchholz's September 1, 2007 no-hitter.
Pedroia won the AL Rookie of the Year award, and was selected to the 2007 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team.
2007 Playoffs
Dustin Pedroia entered the 2007 American League Division Series batting .317 with 8 home runs and 50 RBI in 139 regular season games with the Red Sox. In the ALDS, Pedroia struggled, getting only 2 hits in 3 games against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Though Pedroia struggled in the lead-off spot for the Red Sox, Boston cruised past the Angels 3 games to 0 to advance to the American League Championship Series, where they met the Cleveland Indians.
In the ALCS, Pedroia heated up, batting .395. In the 7th game, Pedroia hit a 2-run homer into the Green Monster seats in the 7th inning and had 5 RBI. He then hit a 3-run double in the bottom of the 8th to help the Red Sox secure the series and a spot in the World Series.
Entering the 2007 World Series against the Colorado Rockies, Dustin Pedroia was one of two rookies starting (with center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury) for the American League champion Red Sox. These two rookies jump started the Red Sox offense. Pedroia only saw one pitch in his first World Series at-bat before he took Rockie ace Jeff Francis' pitch over the Green Monster. This made him only the second player (and the first rookie) to lead off the Series with a home run. The only other player to lead off a World Series with a home run was Baltimore's Don Buford against Tom Seaver and the 1969 New York Mets. After winning the first two games of the World Series, the Red Sox entered Game 3 making history by having two rookies bat first and second in the line-up. Ellsbury and Pedroia combined for 7 hits, 3 runs, and drove in 4 more to help the Sox take the first three games of the Series. The Red Sox won Game 4 and swept the Colorado Rockies to win their seventh World Series title. Dustin Pedroia hit .278 with 5 hits, 1 home run with 4 runs batted in in the Series.
2008 Regular Season
During the 2008 season, Red Sox manager Terry Francona noted that Pedroia, like Mike Lowell and Alex Cora, was willing to play catcher in emergencies.
Pedroia ended the season with a .326 average with 17 home runs, 83 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases. He was tied for the MLB lead in hits with 213 and led the league in doubles (54), while leading the AL in runs scored (118), making him the first player to lead all three of those categories in the same season since Cal Ripken in 1983. Pedroia came in second in the AL in batting average (.326) behind Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer (.328), fourth in the AL in total bases (322), and seventh in the AL in extra-base hits (73). His 20 stolen bases in 21 attempts helped Pedroia lead MLB in stolen base percentage (.952). With only 6 errors in 773 plays at second base, Pedroia was second in the AL in fielding percentage by a second baseman (.992), behind Mark Ellis (.993, OAK), who had almost 200 fewer total chances.
Following the season, Pedroia won the 2008 AL MVP (the first by an American League second baseman since Nellie Fox in 1959) as well as the AL Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award for second base. He is the 10th player in the history of the Red Sox to capture the AL MVP and the 8th player in AL history to win the MVP, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger awards in the same season. Pedroia became only the third player in MLB history to win Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in consecutive seasons (others have won both in the same season) joining Cal Ripken Jr. and Ryan Howard.
2008 Playoffs
Pedroia was hitless through the first three games of the 2008 ALDS. His sole hit was an RBI double that drove in Jason Varitek in the 5th inning of game 4. He batted 2nd in all 4 games in the series, behind Jacoby Ellsbury. Pedroia made one of the best defensive plays of the series with a diving throw to first base to retire Vladimir Guerrero in the third inning of game 4. The Red Sox went on to win in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4 again knocking the Angels out of the playoffs.
The Angels contained Pedroia in the Division Series, but in the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays, Pedroia was red hot. In 26 trips to the plate in the LCS, Pedroia collected 9 hits including three home runs and a double. However, his impressive line that included a .346 batting average and .731 slugging percentage wasn't enough to propel the Red Sox into the World Series as the rest of the team struggled to a .234 batting average against the impressive Tampa pitching staff.
2009 Regular Season
On December 3, 2008, Pedroia signed a six-year contract extension worth $40.5 million, in addition to a team option for 2015 worth $11 million. Dustin Pedroia announced on December 15, 2008 that he would play for the United States team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
He also recorded the first Major League hit in Citi Field history when he hit a bloop double down the right field line in an April 3 exhibition game against the New York Mets. He hit a home run in his first at bat of the 2009 season. Dustin was selected to the 2009 All Star Game on July 5.
Pedroia was selected to be the starting second baseman for the 2009 AL All Star Team. The weekend prior to the game, however, he withdrew from the team. Pedroia stated that he wanted to stay with his wife, Kelli, who was experiencing pregnancy complications with the couple's first child. The same issue had caused him to miss a regular season game prior to the All Star break.
Pedroia achieved his first multi-home run game on September 9, 2009, against the Baltimore Orioles.
On October 11, 2009, Pedroia popped out to short against Brian Fuentes to end the Red Sox season in game 3 of the American League Division Series.
For the second consecutive year, Pedroia led the American League in Runs Scored with 115 (2nd in MLB behind Albert Pujols who had 124 runs scored). He finished third in the AL / MLB with 48 doubles.
2010 Regular Season
After MLB umpire Joe West made controversial statements regarding the speed of play between the Red Sox and Yankees, Pedroia responded by saying "What he doesn't understand is that when we don't do well in these games against the Yankees, we get killed. If he doesn't want to do Red Sox and Yankee games, he should tell the umpires' union. Then when we're in the World Series, he'll be out of that assignment, too."
[Edited on 5-20-2010 by Metallica1828]
Pages: 1