Red Sox: Dustin Pedroia’s underappreciated streak

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia isn’t getting enough attention for his streak of consecutive games getting on base.

What is the primary goal of a hitter when he steps to the plate? The reality is that the answer can be based on circumstance, but generally the idea is to get on base by any means possible. A team gets to make only 27 outs in a standard nine inning contest, so any time a plate appearance ends without costing one of those valuable outs it can be considered a success.

So why is it that Dustin Pedroia hasn’t garnered more attention for the impressive streak of 30 consecutive games that he has safely reached base for the Boston Red Sox?

Hitting streaks get all the glory, as we saw earlier this year when Jackie Bradley piled up at least one hit in 29 straight games. His streak still stands as the longest by anyone in the majors this season, but an empty 0-for-4 performance both preceded and ended the streak.

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Pedroia had a 16-game hitting streak earlier this season, tying him for the fifth longest in the majors this season. He is currently riding a 7-game hitting streak, which followed an 0-for-7 performance over two games against the San Francisco Giants on July 19 and 20. Pedroia drew a walk in each of those games, keeping his on-base streak alive.

Since his streak began on June 21, Pedroia is 38-for-123 (.308) at the plate with 17 walks, giving him a .392 OBP over that span. He has 9 multi-hit games, including a 5-for-5 performance on July 21. While he went without a hit in five games during this stretch, he drew multiple walks in two of those games.

There’s nothing sexy about watching ball four, but it accomplishes the same goal as a base hit. Sure, a hit is more likely to drive in a run with men in scoring position, but walks can still move a runner along and can even push one across the plate (just ask Robbie Ross).

In this post-Moneyball world, we’ve come to value on-base percentage more than ever. Billy Beane may have made it trendy, but players of the past, such as Hall of Famer Wade Boggs, taught us that getting on base over 40 percent of the time can be as valuable as mashing 40 home runs.

So why don’t we view Pedroia’s streak in the same light as Bradley’s, which drew national attention?

For on thing, Bradley came much closer to being on the verge of history. His 29-game hit streak fell a mere five games short of Dom DiMaggio‘s franchise record. As impressive as Pedroia’s current streak is, he’s nowhere near any records.

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Of all the storied accomplishments in baseball’s record books, the one most consider unbreakable is the 56-game hit streak set by the the Little Professor’s brother, Joe DiMaggio. Yet even his streak pales in comparison to the record Ted Williams set with reaching base in 84 consecutive games.

DiMaggio’s hit streak ended on July 17, 1941, but he did collect a walk in that game, before beginning a new 16-game hitting streak the following day. DiMaggio actually reached base in 74 straight games that season, which still puts him 10 games short of the record set by the Splendid Splinter. Yet DiMaggio’s flashy hit streak gets all the attention over the model of efficiency exemplified by Williams.

Is sustaining a hitting streak inherently more difficult than an on-base streak? That seems to be the perception, which may stem from the belief that a hit requires some form of action on the hitter’s part while a walk can be accomplished by doing virtually nothing. That philosophy overlooks the value of a keen batter’s eye, selling short a measurable skill for accomplishing the the most basic goal of every hitter – not making an out.

Next: On the road again

Tracking Bradley’s hitting streak was one of the more captivating aspects of this season, while Pedroia’s streak has gone largely overlooked. He may not be on the verge of making history, but it’s time to appreciate this remarkable run that Pedroia is on.