7:58 pm: To be clear, there have been no firm discussions between the Red Sox and Pedroia or his agents. Discussions in the near-term are within the realm of possibility, but those talks have not happened as of yet, per Rob Bradford of WEEI.com (via Twitter). The two sides are prepared for a discussion, but decisions have not been made final, and those negotiations are not yet underway.
3:32pm: Dustin Pedroia is a Red Sox legend. Toeing the line between MLB superstar and postseason cult hero, the California-born second baseman played every game with grit and energy. The 5’9″ Pedroia could easily be mistaken for the “gutsy” brand of major-league glue guy, the overachiever who puts team first and whose motor never stops. Pedroia was exactly that, and though his blue-collar playing style could earn him the title of dirt dog, make no mistake about it: Pedroia was a superstar. A key player on two World Series winners, his accolades were numerous: 4-time All-Star, 4-time Gold Glove Award winner, a Silver Slugger award, the AL Rookie of the Year in 2007, and the AL MVP in 2008. He has accumulated 51.6 rWAR in his career, which includes 6 seasons of 5+ rWAR.
Unfortunately, knee injuries sidelined Pedroia in recent years. The 37-year-old appeared in just 9 games over the past three seasons. Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe now hears that Pedroia and the Red Sox “are prepared to talk soon about a mutual understanding that would end his playing career.” Pedroia is owed $12.125MM in 2021 – the final year of his deal. Abraham notes that the benefit for the Red Sox would be in freeing up his 40-man roster spot before the business of the offseason begins in full. No official announcement is planned, but if Abraham’s sources are indeed correct, Pedroia could make a final decision about the potential end of his playing days soon.
Currently, Pedroia owns a .299/.365/.439 career line across 6,777 plate appearances with 1,805 hits, 922 runs, 140 home runs, 138 stolen bases, and 51.6 rWAR. If Pedroia never plays another major league game, he will have put together an impressive resume that will merit consideration for the Hall of Fame.
He was drafted the same year Boston ended their 85-year playoff drought, beginning his career in A-ball as a 20-year-old during what turned out to be a magical year in Boston. It could be seen as a disappointment to arrive just after a year as redemptive and memorable as 2004 was for the Red Sox, but Pedroia didn’t appear to fret over missing out on the curse-breaking fun. Instead, he made his legacy on the continuation of a dream, helping to turn Boston into a perennial contender and one of the premiere franchises in the game. From his rookie season in 2007 – in which he roasted opposing pitchers to the tune of .317/.380/.442 – Pedroia cemented his status by ensuring Boston fans wouldn’t endure another stretch of title-less baseball. Even on a star-studded Red Sox team, Pedroia shined bright. Alongside fellow youngsters Jacoby Ellsbury, and Jon Lester, Pedroia teamed with a veteran cast of proven playoff heroes like David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Kevin Youkilis, Jason Varitek, Josh Beckett, and Curt Schilling to sweep the Rockies and win the World Series for the second time in four seasons.
Pedroia would again play a key role for a title team in 2013 when he posted 6.1 rWAR and finished 7th in MVP voting. For his career, Pedroia appeared in 51 total playoff games. He played his entire career with the Red Sox organization, currently sitting 7th in rWAR on their all-time franchise leaderboard. He’s also 9th in at-bats, 8th in hits, 6th in doubles, and 2nd behind only Everett Scott in defensive rWAR.
A tip of the cap to you, my dude
Very much so.
“teamed with a veteran cast of proven playoff heroes like … Kevin Youkilis”?? Up to that point Youk had just one career postseason game under his belt, and in that one game he went hitless in 2 AB’s. Between that and the “85-year playoff drought” it seems like perhaps there’s a bit too much focus on meaningless sabermetrics stats, and not enough attention to getting basic facts right.
Yankee fan here and really hate to see a guy go out like this. Could never question his toughness and drive and just a good ball player. Good luck to him but I wish everyone played the game like he did
Yessir.
Pain in the ass. Helluva ballplayer.
I’ve missed my man Petey, but it’s time to coach and stay in the organization like vtek has and the rest. Hates to see him go out like this, he desires better and I’ll always hate Machado for helping this happen.
Deserved*
Could you remind me what Machado did?
He spiked Pedroia in the leg sliding into second.
Well that’s not nice
Here’s the spike. Completely unnecessary slide.
youtube.com/watch?v=rbAYcXPhIUE
Slow roller, Machado slides into 2nd base in a close play. Looks like a pretty normal baseball play to me.
What the hell was normal about spiking the 2nd baseman in the knee on a play that was MERELY a force out, where he was never even going to attempt to turn a DP? Who does that other than Macado?
Machado wasn’t trying to stop the double play, he was trying to beat the throw, which is why he slid hard. In fact, if you slow it down, you can actually see that Machado did in fact beat the throw. He should have been called safe.
It’s a normal baseball play. Nothing Machado did was wrong. Sorry your loudmouth outspoken midget got hurt but it’s part of the game.
He did it on purpose too!!
Worth noting that Manny and Dustin cleared things up between each other quite quickly. An amateurish Boston manager, since departed, had his own take on things. It was much ado about nothing.
They “cleared things up”? Were you there, or you just going by what LA media said. Doubt Pedrioa or anyone else would quickly forgive this malicious act.
What does LA media have to do with this?
No clue what he’s talking about, but the LA media was quick to embrace Chase Utley. Chase Utley who ended that Mets players career…
While we’re at it, why not blame Machado for all of life’s problems…traffic, taxes, whatever you’re angry about.
Pedroia is as injury prone as it gets, but somehow one guy is what finished him off. Sure…
Or we can talk about facts and you can get off your own lawn
100% horse hockey regarding Pedroia being injury prone, even though he played harder than most in the game did. The guy even tried playing with a broken foot right after it happened 1 season.
Not until the knee injury by Machado was he gone more than a game to 2 in a row really often
Dustin Pedroia played in only 75 games in 2010 and 93 games in 2015:
baseball-reference.com/players/p/pedrodu01.shtml
Pedroia had a fine career but missed some significant time with injuries before the 2017 slide by Manny Machado.
They were not career ending. I recall he injured his thumb opening day and played all year. Right after the season he had surgery. Every player has an injury at one time or another. He was on his way to the HOF when his knee got ruined. The point is if not for a dirty play, we’d be talking about his HOF credentials assuming he planned on retiring when the contracted ended.
Injury prone? Never mind, you don’t watch baseball.
njbirdsfan – very bizarre comment. Machado is such a jackass his mother doesn’t like him but you defend his cheap shot on Pedroia? Nice. Classy comment.
Using your logic Roberto Clemente was injury prone. See how ridiculous your point of view is? Pedroia got taken out on the outfield side of second base with Machado’s spikes up. That’s not a typical injury which labels a person injury prone. Machado did finish him off because he never made it back from the injury caused by Machado. The fact that it was typical Machado dirty makes it even more annoying.
Machado’s spikes were elevated to knee height! When a player slides his feet remain on the ground. Machado hurt Pedroia on purpose by lifting his leg to an unnatural height on the slide. It was obvious to anyone watching except a Red Sox hater.
So… Machado is the reason I missed that second mallard on a very easy shot this morning.
Figures.
Yes my last view of Pedey is Machado spiking him on a purposeful slide.
I just watched the video and the only people who would say that was not done on purpose are blind, obstinate, stupids or all of the above.
Wow, deep thoughts, great multiple choice options.
Can we be just two of the three or does it have to be only one or all three
I just watched the video and I find it hard to see malice in it when Machado doesn’t drive down into him (in fact, he takes his leg off) and catches Pedroia as he falls. Boston fans are just extra sensitive.
Maybe PEDroia should have made the play and gotten out of the way. Kinda his own fault.
Good luck to him in retirement. Sorry it had to end the way it did. You hate to see a player essentially forced into retirement because of injury.
And especially him. Great legacy.
Laser Show.
Solid player with a terrific career. But Hall of Famer? Come on!
Wow, crazy how long he has hung around to collect money, hasn’t been an active player in 4 years.
He makes Troy Tulowitzki look like Cal Ripken Jr.
He was working rehabbing and had setback after setback. He wasn’t home counting his money.
Tulowitzki couldn’t hold Pedroia’s jock strap….dude did nothing outside of Colorado..
Jerk or jealous. Possibly both. Pedey signed a team friendly deal when it was agreed upon and deserves every penny. My only knock on an amazing career is he could and should have tried to diffuse the Price-Eck situation instead of looking foolish by siding with Price.
So he should’ve sided with Eck and put his relationship with his teammates in jeopardy?
No but if he was a leader, he brings Price and Eck together and privately clear the air. My guess is not everyone sided with Price but only a few had the clout in the dugout to do anything about it. He showed me then that talk of him being a manager is just stupid right now. He needs to get away from being a teammate to be able to later lead as a manager.
To be clear, I don’t agree with how Price went about things. Regarding Pedroia, That shouldn’t be his responsibility. It shouldn’t be anyone’s quite frankly. It’s not like it was a beef between teammates or even staff at which point, if the two can’t figure it out, then I’d expect a manager to take the responsibility of helping to squash the beef. We are talking about Price defending his teammates against a sports broadcaster.
Also, with the age of Managers being hired nowadays, just a few years removed from playing themselves, I think that’s part of the direction teams are going. With Jorge Posada, I remember thinking: Man, Jorge was pushing hard for Girardi’s spot behind the plate, and now Girardi is going to Manage the guy who essentially took his job? Even When Cora took over there were still a few holdovers from when he played with the Sox. Now it’s the norm and quite frankly, I’m not sure how I feel about it. Strange times.
I loved his play, but he was a big baby in the dugout. Not managerial material. If you remember, they through at Machado after and Pedroia was like “It’s not me”.
He’s been playing in a shadow league with Ellsbury.
I adore Pedey n his play, n so sad I haven’t seen him play in the last few yrs. he’s an amazing player who I was sooooo lucky to have seen him play for many tremendous yrs. No one was more of the face of the team more than Pedey and Ortiz, two fantastic players, ying n yang. And no one can fill his shoes, no one. He is sorely missed.
Tek is with Pedie and Papi.
HoF consideration?
LOL.
Step away from the hose.
At the point of his injury I would say he was in consideration if he could have continued at that level…unfortunately he won’t have a realistic shot now.
I would be happy if Sox retired his number though
Sox changed their HOF rules with Papi and Tiant and Evans deserve their numbers retired before Pedie.
I agree Dewey’s number should be retired, especially since it was Manny’s number too. Stan Papi’s number was retired?
to be fair, 2B from recent years are fairly underrepresented in the hall.
Yea, the last pure 2B to be elected into the Hall was really Ryne Sandberg. Biggio did play mostly 2B, but he played a lot in the outfield and behind the plate.
Biggie is overrated in my view. Kent should be the next 2Bman elected. It’s close though due to Pedie’s glove.
Kent. Sorry, well behind Whitaker and Grich.
Just a quick reference… WAR. Best second baseman since 1970.
2) Grich.
3) Whitaker
11) Kent.
It’s not that crazy, other than Utley and Cano, there isn’t much there. He could get in simply because the writers feel like putting in more second baseman and he has things working in his favor ie big market, playing on great teams, won a MVP, etc.
Cano? Please no PED users. Not fair to others.
Then no PEDroia
I agree. That’s why a no to Ortiz and Manny too.
Pedroria isn’t close. If he makes it in before Grich and Whitaker, it’s a travesty.
60 war is usually the min for HOF
He’s at 51. Injuries ended him at productively at 33?. Has the Boston legacy. I don’t think it happens but you’re the one with the laughable take. I’d bet he stays on the ballot at least a couple years
Dustin Pedroia posted 52.3 bWAR before getting injured in his age 33 season.
Chase Utley posted 55.0 bWAR through his age 33 season and finished his career with 64.4 bWAR.
Robinson Cano posted 61.6 bWAR through his age 33 season and currently stands at 68.9 bWAR.
Please stop with sabermetrics stats. Use your eyes and realize Cano’s stats are inflated due to his PED use which was confirmed by Tex as a Yankee.
Please stop using math? Wow, that makes it kind of hard to analyze statistics without it.
It’s not crazy to consider him for the Hall. Should he get in? No, but he was certainly on pace to possibly get there before the injury. I wouldn’t blame anyone for trying to make an argument for his induction, I just wouldn’t agree.
No Yankee appearances in the World Series in 11 years…….
He was clearly on his way when the spike happened. He’s done enough to get votes but not nearly enough to get in. Mattingly and Wright are in a similar boat although Pedie has championships.
I’m a Yankee fan, but I have no problem saying DP was a helluva player. If you love baseball, then you have to love the guys that play hard every game – Pedroia always did.
He and Gardner are very similar, although Yankees’ fans don’t seem to appreciate him.
Yankees fans appreciate the guy, but it’s time to turn the page. He’s blocking guys that stand to contribute a lot more going forward.
Gardue is a very good player but his career is not close to Pedie’s.
I meant the way they play.
Gardner is very popular and respected among Yankee fans, but there is a vocal, small minority on social media who have always wanted to replace him.
I am sorry to hear this but retirement sadly comes to everybody, but he had a super career and won some World Series and he was a big part of it
Take over as manager
1,000X better choice than Cora, on every level, starting with the heart he gives to the game. I’m sure he would do that as a manager, and that it would be infectious.
That title, and the way the article reads, it sounds like he’s a lock to be a manager.
I don’t think he’ll make the Hall, but I could see him getting a few votes and sticking around for a few ballots.
Def deserves some votes for the HOF.
Got to observe from afar in atlanta and he was always someone I wanted to add during his prime years.
Another in a long list of great former Arizona State Sun Devils. He squeezed out every ounce of talent and grit.
Respect!!
Red Sox legend. Fantastic career. Don’t know how many times I’ve seen him dive to the hole to steal a hit. Nothing but respect for him
Also, an amazing lead off hitter when he got the opportunity.
He was at his best in the #2 hole. Ellsbury then Mookie usually led off in front of him.
There was not an 85 year playoff drought.
caught me off guard too
Nice catch! Red Sox fans suffered, but not quite THAT much…
Tbh tho the Mariners might reach 85 years at the rate they’re going…
I came here to say the same; there’s definitely a difference between a playoff drought and a title drought
Unless you watched him frequently, you can’t appreciate Pedroia and all he meant; completely transcends the back of the baseball card. He not only elevated his own play, but the level of play by his team mates.
That said, HOF? Nah. Just a really good player who was great to watch. Every day; every play. He got a Gold Glove, which was silly, because he had the range of your mother-in-law, but he was always in the right place, at the right time. In game skills that were beyond belief.
If in fact he wraps it up, and Francona decides to do the same, the cribbage games will become legendary.
Bob, part of being in the right place is putting yourself in position to make a play. Realize that he never had a Mark Texiera type at first and played with interchangeable shortstops until X-man. He got four gold gloves so how silly was it?
It’s true that he didn’t make the way-to-one-side plays that we think of when we say “range”, but there was no one better at getting to hard hit balls to either side that seemed impossible to reach. Incredible first steps, great hands. From 2008 to 2014 he averaged +12.4 R/150 via DRS and +11.6 via UZR. If you use Total Zone to compare him historically, he’s an 80th percentile defender.
Hall of very good?
He’s got the Boston title drought thing but I think injuries took over too soon.
impressive career
Definitely too short of career for HOF consideration…..although he is better than some of the players that are in their
I agree that he’s an excellent example of the Hall of Very Good, but he didn’t join the big league club till 2006, so he wasn’t involved in ending the drought
He had nothing to do with ending the drought. He came up afterwards.
Oh. Oops. Well there’s another strike. Haha
boston didn’t have an 85 year playoff drought
Look what the drugs did to his body.
???
You mentioned why the Red Sox wanted a deal ( a roster spot ) , but why would Pedy make a deal? Isn’t he entitled to 12 million if he plays or not ?
I suspect they’ll reach an understanding where he’s retiring, but the transaction will be that he’s released so that he gets his money. There’s a good reason for him to go along with this approach. If he’s released/retired now, he gets the full amount of his 2021 salary. If he instead stays on the IL, his salary will be prorated based on number of games scheduled. If 1/3rd of the season is canceled, for example, he’d lose 1/3rd of his pay. Perhaps the season ends up with a regular 162-game schedule, but this way he can lock it in regardless of the pandemic situation. Keep in mind, the Red Sox can simply cut him, so whatever conversations they may have are basically about him agreeing that his career is over so he can go out on a high note.
Great career. Wish you the best going forward.
Ive heard people commenting on him getting in HOF because of 2nd basemen being under represented, that’s just ridiculous. You shouldn’t get Hall consideration because of a lack of positional representation. DP had a great career and will go down as a pretty damn good Red Sox when all said and done, but I think media goes a little overboard in their synopsis of players at the end of their careers getting HOF consideration, especially the last few years. I will use Jack Morris as an example. Im a Tigers fan and loved that Trammel got in recently, but I don’t believe that Jack Morris or Lou Whittaker are HOF’s. Morris shouldn’t go to the Hall b/c of lack of HOF pitchers in the 80s and early 90s. Same goes for Sweet Lou. But like I said, Pedroia had a great career and I do think he’ll make one hell of a good skipper one day!
Lou Whitaker had arguably a better career than Trammell and deserves to be in the HOF.
I can’t say one way or another. Trammel was *really* good.
But, second basemen have a tough time getting elected. Whitaker *is* absolutely a HOFer, as is Bobby Grich.
Personally, I thought Tram was a better overall talent than Sweet Lou but it’s basically tomato-tom@to. Not sure why HOF vote have always been impartial to SS’s over 2B but it’s interesting when you look at the numbers. But also agree that Grich had a great case for enshrinement as well.
Dtown. Tram is an absolute HOFmer. Shame on him taking so long to be enshrined.
A real gamer. Sorry we lost him to injury. Wish him well
See you in Cooperstown Dustin…..
Tickets are $34.95
Make sure you socially distance yourself from him since his health is clearly compromised.
Early in his career there were those who looked at his height and under-estimated him. Later, nobody did. He was a force.
Similar to Tulowitzky in many respects. Outstanding start and middle of their careers. Considered the best at their position for a few years, hard nosed and intense competitors. Injuries derailed both what would have been HOF careers. They will both be in the hall of very good, just not the HOF.
certainly a good player, but this is probably the only choice he has if he cant stay on the field
The fact that he is 5’9 says a lot about how HUGE even the average MLB player is, let alone guys like Varitek, Aaron Judge, etc.
He maybe doesn’t deserve to be a first ballot HOF but he deserves it before the cut off and he would be an ideal candidate as the next Red Sox manager. Maybe convert that final year’s salary into a 3 year managerial contract.
Forget Alex Cora. Seriously, Red Sox. Just leave him in the rear view mirror. If you want a scrappy super serious home town hero as manager, Pedroia is the ideal candidate and it’d be a great way to salvage his legacy after the lost final three years of his deal.
He doesn’t belong in the HOF
He’s one of my favorite players but I agree with you, missing the last three years counting stats really hurts his case, he’s definitely a first ballot Red Sox Hall of Famer though, I don’t think he will manage
Pedroia is NOT 5’ 9”, he’s either 5’ 6” or 5’ 7” at the most (I have stood next to him at 6’1” and I towered over him). I’m guessing the 5’ 9” is his height in cleats.
Asst. Hitting coach???
One the greatest to ever do it in a sox uniform.
HOF. That’s funny.
Legend. One of my favorite players of all time.
Pedroia was a gutsy player, who did put his team first before himself. Every Play. From a Yankees fan, retire, keep playing or coaching..I would trust him to put his best effort forward everytime.
Just another East coaster who had a decent career and everyone on the east coast thinks they should name a bridge after him. In most other markets he was a good player.
ROY, gold gloves, 4x Allstar, AL MVP, .299 career hitter… that’s a bit better than just a decent career. Cano has no league mvps, and neither does Utley.
Not to mention doing it on the biggest stage and in one of two of the biggest markets in sports.
He doesn’t have the stats for the HOF I agree, but he sure would have without the injuries.
I watched him play every game of his big league career, and I met him, dude was all of 5’7 170 lbs making his accomplishments even more remarkable.
“…on the biggest stage….”
??? All due props to Pedroia, and I mean that, but NYC is a MUCH bigger stage. That would pretty much be accepted anywhere in the world. Other than that, I agree with you.
Pedroia won 2 WS titles, and played a zillion games against the Yankees… I can’t think of a bigger stage.
That’s why I said one of two of the biggest markets (BOS, NYC).
Wow! We really over use words like “legend” and “GOAT” these days. This man was a hell of a player and I don’t want to take away from that. But these words can be better used to describe the men who we’ve lost in this awful, covid filled 2020! Men like Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver, Lou Brock, Joe Morgan, Al Kaline and Whitey Ford. These were legends and HOF’s, Pedroia was a good ball player. Nothing wrong with that at all, let’s just not word it incorrectly. Thata all…
Loved Pedroria but I hope the Sox are able to file for job abandonment and don’t have to pay all that is due. I’m confused how Alex Smith was able to come back near leg amputation and Dustin Pedroria is unable to get his knees troubles resolved.
Is my understanding that if he retires, he doesn’t get the money? The Red Sox have to release him don’t they? He’s not gonna walk away from 15 million bucks, nor should he, as far as coaching, I’m not sure I see it, he’s impatient seemingly a perfectionist, and he’s made $100 million in his career, I think is far more likely that he ends up a little league coach,That said one of my favorite players of all time
They would agree to a contract buyout. There are rules in place that are favorable to teams (from a CBT perspective) if a player agrees to a buyout for purposes of retirement. I’m not sure if all the money is excluded from the CBT totals or not but it would definitely help the Red Sox in some fashion, not to mention opening up the 40 man roster spot he’d vacate. David Wright did something similar with the Mets after trying to come
back for years.
The question is do the Red Sox have an insurance policy on Pedey? When Albert Belle was forced to retire, the O’s had to keep him on the 40-man roster for three years because the insurance policy required it.
Terrific player when healthy, probably would have brought his stats very close to HOF level, but he didn’t. Guys like him, David Wright, Joe Mauer and even Buster Posey will and should get consideration, but I don’t know if they get over the top.. I think it’s more likely you see them inducted 15 years from now by some Committee than by a straight vote.
That Hall of Fame consideration should last a couple of seconds, ending with a resounding NO.
@Quintin Good one!
Someone suggested the Hall of Fame doesn’t have enough second baseman compared to other positions, but that’s not true. Including Negro League players, here is the HOF tally per position.
P -83
C -19
1B – 24
2B – 21
SS – 27
3B – 17
LF – 22
CF – 24
RF – 26
DH – 2
SS with the most, 3B with the fewest. Among infielders, SS makes sense for most HOF’ers because it is considered the most important position and is where you’d want your best athlete. If a position has a shortage, it’s catcher due to its overall importance. But given the demands of the position, a catcher’s offensive peak tends to be shorter than other positions. Re WAR, I don’t think it comes close to properly gauging a catcher’s value. .Pedroia has a career WAR of 51.6 while Yadier Molina is at 40.3 Two fantastic players but which one has had more responsibilities?
Right, like catching or “calling” no hitters like a guy like Varitek. Blocking the plate and preventing runs which is now not allowed but still. Intangibles. He’d never come close to hof and several others in that mould as him. Catchers just suffer a lot more wear and tear and typically can’t put up the numbers to make it. Surprising list, I actually would have thought the numbers would very a little more than they did.
I was surprised as well. We tend to think the HOF is overloaded with slugging first baseman and outfielders, but when you do the outfielders by specific position it’s not that extreme. Doing it long enough to make the Hall is hard.
Varitek was one of those guys who wouldn’t let an offensive slump affect his defense and leadership role. A team player and a winner. Choosing up sides? He’s one of the first guys you’d take.
Catchers also have to participate in game-planning prior to the game and in calming pitchers during it. That involves lots of conversation and trust-building, sometimes with guys who speak a different language than you. In 1998, the Dodgers had a five-man rotation of pitchers from four different foreign countries. English was not their first language. Tough assignment for Mike Piazza. People like to point out Piazza’s difficulties in throwing out base stealers, but that was not close to his most important duties as a catcher. Look at the much-maligned Austin Barnes in the World Series. Will Smith is not a bad defensive catcher, but there are reasons why Barnes was the catcher of choice for Kershaw and Buehler. Yet many fans look at Barnes’ offensive numbers and think the Dodgers should get rid of him. That play where Margot was thrown out trying to steal home was enormous. It was a close play and. Barnes did a fantastic job making that tag. Not every catcher would have gotten that out. We need to appreciate what good catchers bring to the table, regardless of their batting average and home-run total.
My Hall Worthiness metric has a positional adjustment for catchers because it’s physically impossible for them to play as much as the other 7 guys on the field. Getting Ted Simmons in there fixed the one obvious oversight, but there’s an argument for Thurman Munson, too.
I was never a Yankee fan but lived in the New York Metro during Munson’s entire career. I saw him a bunch both live and on TV and believed I was watching a Hall of Famer. Late innings, a runner in scoring position. Munson delivered like nobody else. Less than two outs, he always seemed to get that guy in from third. It was uncanny. Fisk had longevity, but when the two were both active in the ’70s, Munson was the one I would want on my team. Catlike behind the plate, an assassin in the batter’s box.
There are four HOFers at 2B with unquestionably weaker credentials than Pedroia, in Fox, Evers, Schoendienst, and Mazeroski, and if you make an era adjustment (and you should) you can add Doerr and Lazzeri. There are two as-yet ineligible guys who have incontrovertible numbers in Utley and Cano, and three overlooked guys with better credentials in Grich, Whitaker, and Willie Randoph. The last name gives you pause, because while the omission of Grich and Whitaker is criminal, no one thinks Randolph is a HOFer.
However, I’m a firm believer in a grey zone beneath the sure things, and actually being famous and having your career cut short are two well-established reasons to promote a player from the grey into the black. There’s an obvious comp for Pedroia in Kirby Puckett. Pedroia has a 0.5 bWAR edge and a 1.7 fWAR edge, his peak was somewhat higher, and he was two years younger when his career was cut short prematurely. Puckett earned two rings in a span of 5 years, Pedroia in 7; Puckett had 10 AS appearances to Pedroia’s 5, but Pedroia has the MVP and ROY. Both were actually famous, Pedroia probably more so.
If Puckett is a HOFer, it’s kind of impossible to argue that Pedroia isn’t. Personally, I have mixed feelings about Puckett being in the Hall, and I would never advocate for Pedroia (even though I have my WS Wristwatch as a Sox Baseball Ops consultant in ’07, when I gave some apparently useful advice re Pedroia over the preceding winter). But the idea that he shouldn’t be in this conversation is plainly wrong, and he wouldn’t be any kind of embarrassment to the Hall.
(Note that I’m using my Hall Worthiness metric here, which takes the idea of JAWS and identifies an objective duration for “peak” and an objective weight for peak versus career WAR, based on the actual makeup of the Hall for pre-expansion players.)
Randolph was a steady, quiet guy who got overlooked due to the stars on his team. You make a compelling argument for Pedroia, but given that Grich and Whitaker have been on the outside looking in forever, Dustin will likely have a long wait. Granted he’s not eligible yet and things could change if either or both of those guts get in.
Generally speaking, I’m in favor of a bit bigger Hall. That way we don’t have situations like Ron Santo not getting in until the year after he died. Santo was a Hall of Fame player. Period. And if he’s in, Ken Boyer should be strongly considered as well. A former MVP and seven-time all-star whose prime was spent in an era where backgrounds were terrible for hitters. But Boyer’s been dead for almost 40 years and nobody lobbies for guys like that. Maybe that’s good because guys like Harold Baines, Lee Smith, and Bill Mazeroski will lower the bar enough to get some of these guys in. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to pitchers in this current era when they become eligible. The wins got Jack Morris in, but that shouldn’t be the criteria with a guy like deGrom (who will enter his age-33 season with a grand total of 70). The way pitching changes are now, some of these starters are going to micromanaged out of Cooperstown.
Maybe he can work out a Bobby Bonilla like deal. 2M a year for the next 25 years sounds fair for both sides.
For a 12M one year Commitment? Ok. Don’t think so
I love how Jerry Remy always called him Padroier
You talk about a double-tough scrapper of a second baseman.
The Yankees always dreaded him coming to the plate.
Machado should be banned for dirty play. We go banning managers and players for cheating, why can’t we ban Machado for messing up one of our prime players and franchise?
Bad injury and way to end a great career. But blessed with a wonderful contract and tremendous cash flow for years and years. The “J Henry Bank” is a wonderful thing !
Dustin Pedroia did many, many great things for the Red Sox and was a great player overall in multiple facets of the game. He should be remembered as such. There are no perfect people and no perfect baseball players. Dustin did not play without fault. He publicly called out Bobby Valentine (not perfect himself) when professionally he could have been handled his comments privately in the managers office away from the impartial media. After Machado slid in to his knee, Barnes hit Machado during a plate appearance. Pedroia was quick to signal to Machado, on camera, that it was not him (Pedroia). A teammate comes to your defense, you do not throw him under the bus! Overall all Pedroia was a way above average player for the Red Sox worthy of recognition.
Good player, wish him the best.
But also, it isn’t the hall of very good – Pedroia is a no.
Sox fan here…. Loved Pedey….. but he is not a Hall Of Fame player….. Red Sox HOF… sure… but MLB…. sorry not.
The play that we now know ended Pedy’s career was dirty for two reasons. 1). He put his spike up diretly into Pedys’ knee .. and 2) he wasn’t even breaking up a DP. The throw was off to the LF side and Pedy was clearly just catching the ball to get the force out. He was obviously never even going to attempt to turn a DP. So it was dirty AND totally unnecessary. Macado accomplished nothing with that slide other than ending the career of a player who played the game right .. unlike HIM.
If Jim Edmonds didn’t make the hall I see it hard for Pedroia for the same reasons. Less than 7,000 at bats, less home runs, less runs driven in, and Edmonds was dropped his first time on the ballot. They both had great careers!
I do not believe that Pedroia is Hall of Fame worthy. His last useful season as a major league player was at age 33. If he is elected, it is likely a product of northeastern sports writers showing favoritism to a Red Sox favorite.
Not a Boston fan but definitely a Pedroia fan since his time with ASU. The kind of player that every team wants to have.