Dead Soxy: Pedroia Takes Home AL ROY
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by Tylersalt
Boston Red Sox rookie second baseman Dustin Pedroia was honored as the American League Rookie of the Year on Monday, capping off a great season in which he battled with adversity and cemented himself as the team's starting second baseman for years to come.
Listed as a generous 5'9'', 180lbs (for reference, that's about Tylersalt-sized), former Arizona State University standout Pedroia worked his way into the hearts and minds of Red Sox nation this year with timely hitting, some serious leather, and an infectious good attitude. Things were not always this way, as Pedroia hit just .182/.308/.236 for the month of April, and was splitting time with career utilityman Alex Cora. Red Sox manager Terry Francona wanted to bench him, but the order came down from above that the front office believed in Pedroia, and that he remain the starter. Boston's diligence was rewarded, as Pedroia responded to the vote of confidence with an absolutely torrid May, hitting .415/.472/.600 with 2 home runs and 9 RBI. He never hit lower than .299 for any month of the season after that except for October, and Cora's playing time dropped precipitously.
Pedroia's defense has never been his calling card, but his glove work was well above what was expected from him by the team. By far his best defensive play of the year was a diving stop deep in the hole and hard through to Kevin Youkilis at first on September 1st to preserve fellow rookie Clay Buchholz's no-hitter. Pedroia also left his mark with his bat, especially in the playoffs, as he led off World Series Game 1 with a home run off of Colorado Rockies ace Jeff Francis. Pedroia hit .283/.348/.483 with 2 home runs, 10 runs scored, and 12 RBI in the playoffs, and even garnered some World Series MVP attention.
A great deal of the Red Sox' success this season can be directly traced to the contributions of rookies. Besides Pedroia, Japanese newcomers Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima (who finished 4th and 6th in the AL ROY balloting respectively) pitched extremely well considering their cultural transitions, and outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury hit .361/.390/.536 for the month of September, infusing the club with some much-needed life after a late-season swoon into the stretch run, helping propel them to the American League East title. The aforementioned Buchholz no-hit the Baltimore Orioles in just his second career Major League start, and seems to be on track to be a major part of the rotation next year and for the foreseeable future. And even though he's not technically a rookie, youngster and cancer survivor Jon Lester returned triumphantly to the team this season, pitched fairly well in the regular season, and dominated the Rockies and winning the clinching Game 4 of the World Series.
The success of Boston's rookies this year and the sunny outlook for next year and beyond is a testament to the player-development organization put together by general manager Theo Epstein, and the club will reap the benefits in the coming years. Until next time, stay Soxy!
