Wednesday evening, Dustin Pedroia appeared on a baseball field. This time though, Pedroia added to his long list of accomplishments, with his induction into the Arizona Fall League Hall of Fame in Scottsdale, Arizona. Wednesday was a good day for Pedroia, as he also earned his fourth Gold Glove at second base.
In addition to his time in the Arizona Fall League, Pedroia also starred for the Arizona State Wildcats in college, located in Tempe. In 2004, Pedroia played for the Scottsdale Scorpions, of the six-team AFL. In the ceremony, Pedroia appreciated the opportunity to play in the AFL, which was after his first year of A ball. Pedroia credited being around players, who were in double-A or triple-A, to help him in his development as a player. Pedroia hopes the retirement of his high number (#77) will inspire other players with high numbers to keep working hard in the Arizona Fall League, so in a decade they can have their high number retired as well.
In other Arizona Fall League news, this week the Surprise Saguaros added Red Sox Double-A infielder Mike Miller to their roster, to replace Rusney Castillo who had to leave the team with an injured thumb. Miller posted a .301/.356/.441 batting line with three homers in 23 games after his promotion to Double-A in August (.305/.363/.379 overall in 72 games). Miller started 11 games at second, eight at shortstop, and four at third base at Double-A.
Stay tuned each Sunday for an update on the Boston Red Sox in the Arizona Fall League