Red Sox: Dustin Pedroia vs Bobby Doerr for best second baseman in franchise history
By Sean Penney
Debating between Dustin Pedroia and Bobby Doerr to determine which second baseman was the best in Boston Red Sox franchise history.
The Boston Red Sox have had a wealth of talent at virtually every position throughout their storied history. Second base has historically been a thin spot for the franchise and when debating which player was the best to field the position, there are two clear-cut options.
MLB.com recently revealed their list of the top second baseman for each team. It was a tough call for the Red Sox, with Dustin Pedroia narrowly edging out Bobby Doerr.
The key fact that supported their argument is that Pedroia is the only player to win an MVP Award, Rookie of the Year Award, World Series title and Gold Glove Award within his first two MLB seasons. An impressive achievement, but two great years don’t make a career.
The article points out how evenly matched the two second basemen are by citing that Baseball-Reference values Pedroia at 51.6 WAR for his career compared to 51.1 for Doerr.
Pedroia’s career isn’t technically over yet but he’s a long shot to take the field again as he continues to battle through a knee injury that has almost entirely wiped out his last two seasons. If he ever makes it back, it’s hard to imagine the 36-year old being an above replacement level player at this stage of his career and he might even lose value to close the gap in WAR.
FanGraphs also disagrees on their value, crediting Doerr with 53.3 WAR compared to 46.6 WAR for Pedroia. No other Red Sox second baseman has reached 20.0 career fWAR so these two are clearly in a class of their own.
So, which second baseman deserves the honor of being the best in franchise history? Let’s break it down.