Dustin Luis Pedroia (born August 17, 1983) is a Major League Baseball player for the Boston Red Sox, and played college baseball at the Arizona State University. Pedroia made his major league debut and collected his first major league hit on August 22, 2006 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Pedroia is listed by Major League Baseball and the Boston Red Sox at 5'9". Pedroia collected his first major league home run on 9 September, 2006 against Kansas City Royals' pitcher Luke Hudson. He has drawn comparisons to Nomar Garciaparra, former Red Sox shortstop, for his similar batting and fielding style. Pedroia also wears number 15, possibly as a tribute to Nomar, who wore number 5.
| Dustin Pedroia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Boston Red Sox – No. 15 | |
| Second Baseman | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| debut | |
| August 22, 2006, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| Career statistics (through June 29, 2007) | |
| Batting average | .322 |
| RBI | 23 |
| HR | 3 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
Background
He grew up in Woodland, California and starred at Woodland High School before going to Arizona State. He became the fourth Woodlander to make it to the Major Leagues joining Steven Andrade, Tony Torcato and Mike Griffin. Pedroia is also friends with Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn.
Baseball Career
2007 Season
Dustin Pedroia became the regular second baseman for the Boston Red Sox in 2007. He has been known to be solid defensively (only three errors through July 2 on the season). He was expected to be a good hitter in the Majors just as he was in the Minors. However, early in the season, his batting average had fallen all low as .172. Such an average along with the great hitting of fellow teammate Alex Cora (who even batted above .400 at a point), had left Pedroia on the bench for some games and had given him limited at-bats.
However, Pedroia has since picked up his batting average. On May 1st, his average was at a season-low .172, but Pedroia had raised his average to .322 by June 18th, aided by a 13-game hitting streak and a five-hit game against the San Francisco Giants on June 15, 2007.
Due to his production, he was named American League Player of the Week for May 28-June 3, and American League Rookie of the Month for May.[1]
Awards
- 2004 Golden Spikes Award Finalist
- 2004 First-Team Baseball America and USA Today All-American
- 2003 Pac-10 Co-Player of the Year
- 2003 NCAA Defensive Player of the Year
- Red Sox ML Base Runner of the Month (April 2005)
- Paw Sox Little League Batboy of the Month
- Red Sox Minor League "Quality Plate Appearances" Award (June 2005)
- 2005 Post-Season Eastern League All-Star
- 2005 SoxProspects.com All-Star - 2B
- 2005 Red Sox Minor League Offensive Player of the Year
- 2005 Minor League News MLN FAB50 Baseball 2005 - No. 45
- 2006 Minor League News MLN FAB50 Baseball 2006 - No. 23
- 2007 ALAA Rookie of the year Candidate Choice
- 2007 American League Rookie of the Month-May
- 2007 American League Player of the Week (May 28-June 3)
Personal Life
Pedroia married Kelli Hatley on November 11, 2006. Hatley is a 2005 Arizona State University graduate. She is also a Melanoma survivor, and advocates for safe sun care with the awareness program "Play Smart When It Comes To The Sun".