Through 6 games of the 2010 regular season, the Red Sox are sitting at .500 (3-3) and are tied for 3rd place in the AL East. What does that mean? Nothing. Since the Sox had to begin the season with three against the New York Yankees and then followed that series up with a road trip to Kansas City against a strong starting rotation, their record after six games is irrelevant. What is important however, is the emergence of offensive so far for the Sox, much of it thanks to the shortest guy on the team, Dustin Pedroia.
At just 5’9″, 180 lbs, Dustin Pedroia has the look of a base-hit, line-drive hitter and not a guy who can turn on an inside fastball and clear the green monster. As with most parts of Pedroia’s game, his power and quick bat can surprise you and catch the opposition off-guard. Through six games this season, Pedroia has 9 hits, 3 of which are home runs to left field. His .360 batting average and is the best of any regular starter for the Sox and it is his ability to get on base that has helped Victor Martinez and Kevin Youkilis pick up a combined 8 RBIs on this young season.
This year in particular, Pedroia has recommitted himself to adding a bit of power to his game, and as mentioned above, he has been extremely successful to this point. No one expects Pedroia to hit 30 home runs, but he certainly has the potential to break his career high of 17 this season, and no one would complain as long as he keeps his average around .300 like he has throughout his career (career average of .308). With protection from V-Mart and Youkilis in the 3/4 holes this year and coming to the plate behind lead-off hitter and potential on-base machine Jacoby Ellsbury, pitchers will be forced to throw Pedroia pitches he can hit, making his job a little easier.
There are of course hundreds of factor’s that need to be perfectly aligned for Pedroia to have a career year and we are only through 6 of 162 games, but so far, all signs are pointing up for the 26-year old second baseman. Defensively we expect nothing less from him, especially now he has a double-play partner the fits into his style perfectly. The Rookie of the Year and MVP award winner hasn’t taken his foot off the gas yet and probably won’t until his body falls apart on the field. I don’t know about you, but that’s the type of player I want on my team.
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