Age: 23
Born: August 17, 1983
Resides: Woodland, CA
Height: 5-8
Weight: 180
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Drafted: 2nd round, 2004
How Acquired: Draft
College: Arizona State
High School: Woodland HS (CA)
ETA: late 2006

Dustin is set to start the season in Extended Spring Training while recovering from a subluxation of his left shoulder. He will then join the PawSox where he will move back to SS.

Scouting Report: Small infielder had a tremendous career at Arizona State. Average power for a middle infielder, with good bat speed and excellent plate discipline. Loves the game and has fantastic instincts. Plays top-notch defense up the middle, named the 2003 National Defensive Player of the Year. Very scrappy; a great teammate. Moved to second base prior to the start of the 2005 season; Boston hasn't ruled out moving Pedroia back to shortstop.

ASU: Put together three of the best seasons in Arizona State baseball history... completed his career with a .384 (298-for-777) batting average to rank tied for seventh in the record books... was also fourth with 71 career doubles and fourth with 298 hits... came only two hits shy of becoming the first Sun Devil player to reach 300 career hits in only three years... started all 185 games of his Sun Devil career... a three-time First-Team All-Pac-10 selection... joins Alvin Davis, Don Wakamatsu and Andrew Beinbrink as the only Sun Devils to earn three All-Pac-10 awards... recorded 98 career multi-hit games and had a career .972 FLD%... sixth in school history with 212 runs scored, averaging 1.15 runs scored per game during his career... hit safely in 155 of his 185 (84%) career games... two-time USA Baseball National Team starting shortstop... three-time On Deck Circle Team MVP... described by head coach Pat Murphy as a throwback style of player... gave back his scholarship after his freshman season... described by former UNLV and current TCU head coach Jim Schlosnagle as the "Pete Rose of College Baseball".

High School: A 2001 graduate of Woodland High School in Woodland, Calif... was a three-time All-Delta League selection... hit .448 with 12 doubles, one triple and two home runs his sophomore year... was named to the all-state (underclassman) team by CalHi Sports... was the starting shortstop sophomore year and named team MVP... earned the Gold Glove Award while playing for Team USA in an Australian tournament... ... hit .459 as a junior to repeat as an all-league, all-metro and all-state selection... hit 17 home runs and batted team-best .432 for Carson (Nev.) Capitols over the summer... named to all-star team at 2000 Area Code games in Long Beach, Calif... hit .445 with 18 doubles and five home runs during his senior year to capture league MVP honors... he was also the Metro (Sacramento) Player of the Year and was recognized by the Sacramento Bee as the area player of the year... named a preseason All-American by Fox Student Sports.

Personal: Was an interdisciplinary studies major at ASU... parents are Guy and Debbie Pedroia of Woodland, Calif., who rarely missed a road or home game during Dustin's career... his father runs a tire shop in Woodland... has one older brother, Brett (24), who played baseball for two years as a catcher at Shasta Junior College in Redding, Calif... describes his best individual athletic performance as a game at the National High School Classic where he was 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and recorded three RBI in a 4-3 win... he also stole home to win the game... also recruited by national baseball powers Miami (Fla.), Texas, Florida, Cal, Long Beach State and Tulane... enjoys playing golf... favorite team is the NBA Sacramento Kings... his Little League team fell one game short of qualifying for the Little League World Series when he was 12... full name is Dustin Luis Pedroia... born August, 17, 1983 in Sacramento, Calif.

Career Stats
[codebox] AGE AVE G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO OBP SLG
2002 Arizona State 18 .347 58 236 51 82 13 2 1 45 5 4 24 19 .417 .432
2003 Arizona State 19 .404 68 297 83 120 34 3 4 52 3 4 36 13 .472 .570
2004 Arizona State 20 .409 53 220 74 90 23 1 9 48 8 5 43 11 .515 .645
2004 Augusta (A) .400 12 50 11 20 5 0 1 5 2 0 6 3 .474 .560
2004 Sarasota (A) .336 30 107 23 36 8 3 2 14 0 2 13 4 .417 .523
2004 Scottsdale (AFL) .278 16 54 13 15 2 0 1 7 1 0 7 4 .375 .370
2005 Portland (AA) 21 .324 66 256 39 83 19 2 8 40 7 3 34 26 .409 .508
2005 Pawtucket (AAA) .255 51 204 39 52 9 1 5 24 1 0 24 17 .356 .382 [/codebox]

Pedroia is making his 2006 debut tonight. He's playing SS and batting 3rd for the PawSox in Charlotte. Hopefully the shoulder is healed and this is the start of a big season for him.

2006 Pawtucket Red Sox
Through 4/29/06
[codebox]G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG OPS E
11 43 8 11 3 0 1 4 17 8 5 0 1 .373 .395 .256 .768 0[/codebox]

EDIT - Corrected stats (BBA had some wrong info)

Did something go awry in the cut and paste there? 23 hits in 40 ABs would be a BA of .575. Then of course the OBP and SLG would be off. And 20 strikeouts?

That site has always been incredibly unreliable. I'm pretty sure they make up most of the information that they get. Either that or they have the crappiest source in the world.

He didn't come to spring training in the best of shape and that is concerning but I don't think the Red Sox would kick him to the curb yet.

2006 Pawtucket Red Sox
Through 5/23/06
[codebox]G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG OPS E
30 112 17 27 6 1 1 8 38 16 14 0 1 .336 .339 .241 .675 1[/codebox]
Here is Dustin's Stats Breakdown
Thanks Abe

Pedroia 3-3 tonight with a double and a run scored. Hopefully his bat will get going like it did in the lower minors.

Now up to .262/.354/.357. Keep it up, kid.

hopefully his shoulder is to the point where its fully healthy. nice avatar by the way. still won't jump on the rudy bandwagon just yet.

2006 Pawtucket Red Sox
Through 5/27/06
[codebox] G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG OPS E
35 129 20 34 7 2 1 10 48 19 15 0 1 .354 .372 .264 .730 1[/codebox]

Wow, pretty damn mediocre for a top prospect.

Back to Portland?

At the beginning of last week, he was hitting .241/.336/.339. Hopefully the cause for this recent streak is his shoulder finally being healed. I'd keep him in Pawtucket for now.

I was at the game last night, so some insights. Pedroia went 1 for 3, with a BB and RBI. His one his was a triple down the line and he made it into 3rd without a problem, driving in a run.

On his first AB, his timing was off and he was caught reaching a couple of times before grounding out the the SS. His 2nd AB was good and he worked one of the 2 BB from Scobie - who was not out of the strike zone very often. His third AB was a weak grounder to 2nd. And his last was the triple with a runner one.

Defensively he was solid with a bunch of ball hit at him. Of note, in the 5th, Pedroia made a fantastic stop deep behind the 1st base bag and got the out. With one out in the 5th, one man on, and milledge up at the plate, milledge nails a liner off the pitcher. It ricochets to the SS (Machado), who fields it, flips to Pedroia, and gets the man at second before relaying to first for the DP. It was a nice head's up play. In the seventh, there was a ball that usually get through the infield straight up the middle. He dove, grabbed it, got up quick, and fired to first for the out. It was a fantastic play.

Overall, solid defensively, and an okay at the plate.

For those worried (and I admit, I'm a little concerned), keep in mind he was set back in spring training with the injury and it takes a while to build up a decent BA after a rough start. I would imagine it also possibly was frustrating to have a legit shot at the MLB squad and get hurt and sent down to Pawtucket. He has been slowly building up the BA with decent other numbers. A demotion shouldn't be in the cards - that would probably be far worse than letting him work through it (and he's still young, so give him a little time).

His BB/K ratio also suggests he's hardly being overmatched. I think some of the preseason expectations for Pedroia were a little over the top, but give him a little time and he should be productive.

2006 Pawtucket Red Sox
Through 6/3/06
[codebox] G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG OPS E
41 152 21 39 9 2 1 10 55 22 17 0 2 .351 .362 .257 .712 2[/codebox]
Five minutes with Dustin Pedroia interview by David Laurila aka Cambridge

I'm watching the PawSox game on NESN, paying particular attention to Pedroia's AB's. He looks weird at the plate, but he's made solid contact on all 3 of his hits. He kind of reminds me of Coco in the box, in that they both seem to have a lot of effort in their swings.

Dustin seems to be rounding into form after his shoulder strain in spring training.

Anybody know: is he playing more at second or short?

My favorite quote about Pedroia was from someone at BA, who said "He swings from ass everytime, but he still makes great contact because of his uncanny hand-eye coordiation." (paraphrasing)

2006 Pawtucket Red Sox
Through 6/17/06
[codebox] G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG OPS E
54 206 28 57 14 2 1 14 78 25 18 0 2 .356 .379 .277 .735 3[/codebox]

Pedroia has an .867 OPS in June (.341/.383/.484).

Only 1 HR this month, but 10 doubles, and he continues to walk more than he strikes out. He also has more extra-base hits on the season (21) than strike outs (19).

2006 Pawtucket Red Sox
Through 7/1/06
[codebox] G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG OPS E
65 252 31 73 20 2 2 22 103 29 20 0 3 .366 .409 .290 .775 4[/codebox]

2006 Pawtucket Red Sox
Through 7/8/06
[codebox] G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG OPS E
72 278 39 83 22 2 2 24 115 33 21 0 3 .379 .414 .299 .793 5[/codebox]
Dustin's really been tearing it up over the past month, raising his average .042 since 6/3.

Mike Bogen in this morning's Springfield Republican in his minor league column:

These prospects are holding up


DUSTIN PEDROIA, Red Sox: Here's a guy who is completely caught up in the root dilemma that confronts the Red Sox' front office - how do you build for the future and at the same time avoid a lynching by Red Sox Nation because you were not competitive with the hated New York Yankees for any given three weeks in August.

Pedroia, the Red Sox' first pick in the 2004 June Draft - a second-rounder because Boston surrendered its first-round pick as compensation for signing Keith Foulke - started his pro career with a bang. He hit a combined .357 at Low-A Augusta and High-A Sarasota in his first year, with only seven strikeouts in 157 at-bats.

Last year, the former Arizona State standout flew through Double-A in 66 games, hitting .324 (19 doubles, 2 triples, 8 homers) and made great contact again. In 280 plate appearances, Pedroia struck out 26 times and drew 34 walks.

In an amazing display of unfairness, some said Pedroia stumbled when he was promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket. In 51 games there, his batting average dropped to .255. But - beyond the immense difference in pitching quality between Double-A and Triple-A - what the critics failed to point out was that Pedroia struck out only 17 times in 204 at-bats.

This season, Pedroia is hitting .289 (20-2-2, 21 strikeouts in 266 at-bats) at Pawtucket, and he has been excellent in the field.

So what happens to Pedroia next year, when there should be absolutely no question that he's ready, but soon-to-be-35 incumbent Mark Loretta is coming off an all-star season? Throw in the never-ending quest for pitching that envelopes Boston and you have a dilemma for Theo and Company.

Pedie has really jacked up his game...was surprised that they made the concious decision to play him all year at short, since they seemed to be going the other way with him..at second....but that tells you about his motor, which is always revved up....

2006 Pawtucket Red Sox
Through 7/15/06
[codebox] G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG OPS E
76 294 42 90 24 2 3 28 127 35 23 0 3 .386 .432 .306 .818 5[/codebox]
Nice night for Dustin on Saturday to help the Pawsox beat the Charlotte Knights 7-4 at McCoy. He went 4-4, to bring his average above .300 for the first time this season, with 2 singles, 2 doubles, a walk, 2 RBI's and 2 runs scored.

Dustin was also #30 on Rotoworld's 2006 Midseason Top 150 Prospects

With Pedroia getting real hot the Mark Loretta era will likely end at the end of the this year. Pedroia is set at 2nd for the next 10 years.

It's amazing that he has a .783 OPS considering the slow start he had. And thanks to Amfox on soxprospects.com, here's his last 47 games:

65/187, 19-2B, 2-3B, 2HR (94TB), 9/19 K/BB, 4HBP (88/210 OBP) - .348/.419/.503/.922

No one ever doubted Dustin, and thank God the Loretta era will be over. As I said, he's not a horrible player, but to listen to this guy get fellated day after day after day is nerve-wracking.

Pedroia had some great plays today - any doubts about his defense because of his height are probably a little over the top. He had a nice play on a slow roller to short where the runner from third took off for home. Dustin made a great decision and gunned a perfect throw home to Corky Miller to nail the runner at the plate. He also showed some range going into CF and LF on some bloops.

Thanks for the firsthand account JJ.

2006 Pawtucket Red Sox
Through 7/22/06
[codebox] AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS IBB GIDP HBP
.302 83 321 45 97 25 3 3 32 38 24 0 4 .382 .427 .810 0 6 6[/codebox]

2006 Pawtucket Red Sox
Through 7/29/06
[codebox] AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS IBB GIDP HBP
.308 89 341 49 105 26 3 4 36 41 24 0 4 .389 .437 .826 0 7 7[/codebox]

3-for-8 1R 1RBI
over the past 2 games while playing 3B.

At least next year when he's up with the team he'll be able to play a multitude of positions.

There are a couple of good news stories on Pedroia at third in both yesterday's and today's Minor League News Links. In addition, I posted one of the stories, from today's Pawtucket Times, in this morning's Red Sox News Links.

Anni

2006 Pawtucket Red Sox
Through 8/12/06
[codebox] AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS IBB GIDP HBP
.306 102 392 51 120 30 3 4 45 44 26 1 4 .384 .429 .813 0 7 8[/codebox]

2006 Pawtucket Red Sox
Through 8/18/06
[codebox] AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS IBB GIDP HBP
.309 109 417 54 129 30 3 5 50 48 27 1 4 .389 .432 .821 0 8 9[/codebox]

Dustin to be promoted?? courtesy of Dan Hickling

Also from Rotoworld

Keep the Pedroia posts up, guys. That's a name that just fell off the radar. I havent been keeping up but why Hinske (yeah, I know the lefty bat and all) if this kid can do the utility thing. I mean Hinske isnt Thome or anything and is hardly a bat period at present no less a lefty threat.

It could be because Eric Hinske is a corner infielder and emergency outfielder, while Pedroia is a middle infielder. Or it could be because you don't call up your top prospects to be utility players with scattered ABs coming at random. Take your pick.

Thanks to Dan Hickling for breaking the news on RSN.net

It's official

projo.com

And of course congratulations to Dustin

2006 Pawtucket Red Sox
Through 8/21/06
Promoted to Boston
[codebox] AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS IBB GIDP HBP
.305 111 423 55 129 30 3 5 50 48 27 1 4 .384 .426 .810 0 9 9[/codebox]