Red Sox: Dustin Pedroia’s amazing achievements prove he’s among the best
By Sean Penney
Dustin Pedroia accomplished a lot during his career with the Red Sox
Dustin Pedroia‘s career came to an unceremonious end with his surgically repaired knee refusing to cooperate. Fading into retirement in the wake of three seasons that were nearly entirely wiped out by injury isn’t how he wanted his final chapter to be written but the story of Pedroia’s tenure with the Boston Red Sox remains an incredible journey.
Rather than focus on the tragic ending, let’s reflect on the years when Pedroia established himself as one of the best second basemen to ever wear a Red Sox uniform. For over a decade, Pedroia was a vital part of this team’s core. He didn’t have the letter “C” patched on his uniform but there was a time when the veteran second baseman was viewed as the unofficial captain. He was a leader and a strong voice in the clubhouse who was respected by his teammates on and off the field.
The fairly lengthy gap between the time when Pedroia was last seen as a productive everyday player and the announcement of his retirement may have led some to forget how great he was before the devastating knee injury. Let’s refresh our memories.
Pedroia earned his fair share of hardware during his career with the Red Sox.
- Four-time All-Star (2008, 2009, 2010, 2013)
- 2007 AL Rookie of the Year
- 2008 AL MVP
- 2008 Silver Slugger award
- Four Gold Glove awards (2008, 2011, 2013, 2014)
In 2008, Pedroia joined Ryne Sandberg (Chicago Cubs, 1984) as the only second basemen in major league history to win an MVP, Silver Slugger and Gold Glove in the same season.
The four Gold Glove awards set a franchise record for the most earned by a Red Sox infielder.
We can’t talk about hardware without mentioning the rings. Pedroia can decorate his fingers with three of them for the World Series titles he won with the Red Sox. He only played three games during the historic 2018 championship season but that was enough to receive a ring. Considering how much he meant to the championship runs in 2007 and 2013, nobody can say he doesn’t deserve that third ring.