Loyalty and Longevity Pt. 13: Dustin Pedroia

In this series, I look at players who played their entire Major League career with the Red Sox, as long as said Major League career lasted at least ten years.

It truly is a shame the way that Dustin Pedroia's career ended.  He had a very real chance of becoming a one-team Hall of Famer, something Boston has not had since Jim Rice.  

Pedroia was drafted by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2004 Draft.  He was the team's top pick as a result of losing their first-round pick to the Athletics as compensation for signing Keith Foulke as a free agent.  His cards had a bit of a strange start.  He appeared in the 2004 Donruss Elite Extra Edition set.  Sort of.  Cards with his name appeared, but the picture was actually of fellow draftee Cla Meredith.

This is NOT Dustin Pedroia

Pedroia moved quickly through the Red Sox system and made his Major League debut just two years after he was drafted.  Pedroia played in 31 games down the stretch in 2006, hitting .191/.258/.303 with two home runs and seven RBIs.  Nevertheless, Boston management seemed comfortable starting the 2007 season with Pedroia at second base.  He started extremely slowly and, after the first month of the season, fans were calling for him to be replaced.  Manager Terry Francona kept with the kid though, which eventually paid off.

Pedroia got going as the season went on, and ended up having a terrific rookie season that won him the Rookie of the Year.  His final numbers were .317/.380/.442 with eight home runs, 39 doubles, 86 runs scored, 50 RBIs and seven stolen bases.  He played steady defense and was the team's primary leadoff hitter.  He also hit two home runs in the postseason, including homering in his first World Series at-bat.  It was an impressive rookie season for the second-baseman, and the best was yet to come.

2008 saw Pedroia be named the A.L. MVP in his second season.  He is one of just two Red Sox players to win both the Rookie of the Year and MVP (Fred Lynn did it in the same season).  Pedroia led the league in runs scored (118), hits (213) and doubles (54).  He came in second in the batting race and hit .326/.376/.493 with 17 home runs, 83 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.  He was named to the All Star game for the first time and won both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards.  He also hit three more home runs in the postseason, all of them in the ALCS against the Rays.  

Pedroia's numbers dipped a bit in 2009, but he still led the league in runs scored (115) and was named to his second All Star team.  He hit .296/.371/.447 with 15 home runs, 48 doubles, 72 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.  Still, it felt like a disappointing season.  Then, injuries struck for the first time in 2010, limiting Pedroia to just 75 games.  He still made the All Star team and hit .288/.367/.493 with 12 home runs, 41 RBIs and nine stolen bases.

He bounced back in a big way in 2011 and had what was likely his greatest season.  In 2011, Pedroia hit .307/.387/.474 with 195 hits, 102 runs scored, 37 doubles and a career-high 91 RBIs.  He also had a 20/20 season, which was overshadowed by Jacoby Ellsbury's 30/30 season (a first for a Red Sox player).  His 21 home runs and 26 stolen bases were also a career high.  Pedroia won his second Gold Glove Award and finished ninth in the MVP vote, but was somehow not an All Star.

2012 was a bad year for the Red Sox, but Pedroia was still a consistent contributor, hitting .290/.347/.449 with 81 runs scored, 15 home runs, 65 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.  The team was pretty bad though, so his contributions went largely unnoticed.

The Red Sox shocked the baseball world when they went from worst to first in 2013.  The team was built on good chemistry and solid role players.  Pedroia was one of the few stars on the team and he had a good season.  In a career-high 160 games played, Pedroia led the league in plate appearances (724) and hit .301/.372/.415 with 193 hits, 91 runs scored, 42 doubles, nine home runs, 84 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.  He was an All Star (his fourth) and won a Gold Glove (his third) and finished seventh in the MVP vote.

In 2014, injuries really began to take a toll on Pedroia.  His slight frame and tendency to play the game like he was on fire started to wear on him a bit.  He played in just 135 games in 2014 and his numbers suffered.  It was the only full season he had less than 100 OPS+ on the season (it was 99, so it was not a horrible season).  Pedroia hit just .278/.337/.376, his worst rate stats in a full season.  He had 33 doubles and seven home runs while stealing just six bases.  He still won his fourth Gold Glove though.

He missed even more time in 2015, playing in just 93 games, but his numbers improved markedly.  That year, he hit .291/.356/.441 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs.  

Pedroia had his last great, full season in 2016.  He was completely healthy for the first time since 2013 and played in 154 games.  He played well too.  He hit .318/.376/.449 with 201 hits, his second time with more than 200 hits, 105 runs scored, 36 doubles, 15 home runs, 74 RBIs and seven stolen bases.  He was no longer fast, but his defense was still strong.  He did not win the Gold Glove though and was also not an All Star.

He was playing reasonably well in 2017, but played just 105 games due to nagging injuries to his wrist and knee.  He hit .293/.369/.392 with seven home runs and 62 RBIs on the season and then had surgery on his knee in the offseason.  He was to start the 2018 season a little late.  Unfortunately, he was never able to fully get back to health.  Pedroia ended up playing in just nine games over the next two years.  He looked like he might be back in 2019 until he was spiked in the knee in a game against the Orioles (I still can't stand Manny Machado to this day).  He played just one more game.  He tried to make it back until deciding to retire in 2021.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Dustin Pedroia's Hall of Fame candidacy.  He was certainly one of the premier second-basemen in the American League during his career, even moreso after Robinson Cano's steroid suspension.  Had he been able to continue to play for a few more years at a reasonable pace, he likely would have a strong case.  As it is, his career spanned 14 seasons and he hit .299/.365/.439 with 1,805 hits, 394 doubles, 922 runs scored, 140 home runs, 725 RBIs and 138 stolen bases.  He was an All Star four times, won four Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger, the Rookie of the Year and MVP.  As it is, Pedroia is the best second-baseman in Red Sox history.  I still think he has a borderline shot at the Hall of Fame.  It's just a shame his career ended the way it did.

Two Walkoffs in a Sweep of the Mariners

It was a wild series against the Mariners in Fenway Park this week.  I will elaborate in the individual game summaries.

07/30:  Red Sox 8 (64-44) Mariners 2
The only somewhat calm game of the series saw Brandon Workman continue to shine in the rotation.  Of course later that evening Jake Peavy was acquired.  Workman struck out nine in six innings, giving up one run.  Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia all homered for Boston.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

DUSTIN PEDROIA:  2 for 4, Home Run, 2 runs, 3 RBIs.

07/31:  Red Sox 5 (65-44) Mariners 4

John Lackey pitched reasonably well, but Junichi Tazawa surrendered the game-tying home run in the eighth and the game went into the 15th inning before Boston won.  Included in this game was an unassisted double play by left-fielder Jonny Gomes.  Rookie Drake Britton got the win.  The winning run scored on a base hit by Stephen Drew.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

DUSTIN PEDROIA:  2 for 6, Home Run, 2 runs, 3 RBIs.

08/01:  Red Sox 8 (66-44) Mariners 7
Felix Hernandez shut down Boston's offense for seven innings and the Mariners lead the Red Sox 7-1 going into the bottom of the eighth.  Shane Victorino homered and then in the ninth, the Red Sox exploded for six runs.  Daniel Nava drove in the winning run and knuckleballer Steven Wright got the win.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

SHANE VICTORINO:  2 for 5, Home Run, 2 runs, 3 RBIs.

The All Star Game

Truthfully I was kind of bored with the All Star game this year.  Not a whole lot really happened, particularly with the Red Sox players.  Boston had three All Stars this year, Clay Buchholz, David Ortiz, and Dustin Pedroia.  Buchholz was hurt and did not play.  Pedroia came in during the top of the 1st after Robinson Cano was hit on the knee with a pitch and had to be removed.  He was 0 for 2 with a strikeout and made one play in the field that I remember.  Ortiz was 0 for 2 after starting the game.  So that was it for the Red Sox in the game.  I was very disappointed that Koji Uehara was not voted in to the game.

As for everything else, like I said it was a pretty boring game.   Mariano Rivera was named the MVP which I am pretty ambivalent towards.  There really was not anyone that was a better pick for the award.  Not much offense and the pitching was all pretty much the same.  I guess based on that, Rivera is an okay pick for the award, but it's not like his performance really stood out that much from anyone else's.  It was definitely a recognition of his career more than for his performance in that game.  Just my opinion.

Red Sox Drop 2 of 3 in Oakland

The last series before the All Star break found the Red Sox losing two out of three.  It was an exhausting West Coast trip that is thankfully over.

07/12:  Red Sox 4 (58-37) Athletics 2
John Lackey continued to pitch well in his redemption season and took the win.  Shane Victorino got hit in the wrist with a pitch but remained in the game.  Mike Napoli managed to hit a triple.  He is not the fastest guy in the world.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

DUSTIN PEDROIA:  2 for 4, 2 RBIs.

07/13:  Athletics 3 Red Sox 0 (58-38)
Jon Lester pitched well for the first time in awhile but was victimized by a non-existent offense.  Boston had seven hits, but only one for extra bases and could not scrape together a run.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

JON LESTER:  6.1 innings, 6 hits, 3 earned runs, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts, Loss.

07/14:  Athletics 3 Red Sox 2 (58-39)
Brandon Workman made his first Major League start and flirted with a no-hitter, giving up his first hit in the 7th inning.  It was an impressive debut, but former Red Sox Bartolo Colon shut down the offense again.  Boston lost in the 11th when new Red Sox Matt Thornton gave up the winning run.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

BRANDON WORKMAN:  6.1 innings, 2 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts.

A Rockies Sweep

It was a short two-game series against the Rockies in Fenway Park this week.  Of course these two teams met in the 2007 World Series where the Red Sox flattened them in a four game sweep.  Three members of the Rockies who played in this two-game set were members of the 2007 team.  Troy Tulowitzki would have made four.  The Red Sox also had three players from the 2007 team in uniform this week.

06/25:  Red Sox 11 (46-33) Rockies 4
The Red Sox rolled in this one with four players collecting three hits apiece.  Ryan Dempster pitched well for six innings and collected the win.  Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Daniel Nava, and Jose Iglesias provided the offense.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

DUSTIN PEDROIA:  3 for 5, 2 runs, 4 RBIs, double, stolen base.

06/26:  Red Sox 5 (47-33) Rockies 3
John Lackey was the story of the game as he pitched very well.  Shane Victorino had a three hit game and Daniel Nava drove in two for the win.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

JOHN LACKEY:  7 innings, 8 hits, 2 runs, 12 strikeouts

Ugh, the Tiger Series...

The Tigers are pretty damn good, so it's not horrendously surprising that Boston struggled.  It's the way that they struggled.  Boston lost three out of four.  But in two of those games, they had the lead late in the game.  The bullpen has been troublesome lately, to say the least.

06/20:  Tigers 4 Red Sox 3 (44-31)
This was the worst one.  Boston lead 3-2 going into the bottom of the ninth.  Enter embattled closer Andrew Bailey who immediately gave up a walk then a two-run walkoff home run to Jhonny Peralta.  Lost in that was a good performance by John Lackey, a home run by David Ortiz, and Jose Iglesias continuing to shock the world.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

JOHN LACKEY:  7 innings, 7 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts

06/21:  Red Sox 10 (45-31) Tigers 6

Jon Lester's struggles continued.  He had one bad inning but it lead to four Tiger runs.  He gave up five runs once again.  Shane Victorino had a huge game and Jose Iglesias and Stephen Drew each had three hits.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

SHANE VICTORINO:  4 for 5, run, 5 RBIs, home run

06/22:  Tigers 10 Red Sox 3 (45-32)

Allen Webster was once again called up to make a start and he struggled early, giving up a grand slam to former Sox Victor Martinez but then settled down.  He struck out five on the night.  The bullpen was dreadful though with Franklin Morales giving up four runs and Alex Wilson giving up one.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

DAVID ORTIZ:  2 for 4, home run

06/23:  Tigers 7 Red Sox 5 (45-33)

Boston managed to tire out Justin Verlander, knocking him out after five innings, but Felix Doubront did not fare much better.  Boston was ahead into the bottom of the 7th when the tying run scored and then the bullpen melted down in the 8th, giving up three runs.  There was a questionable call in the 8th that hurt quite a bit.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

 DUSTIN PEDROIA:  3 for 4, 2 runs

Red Sox Win 2 Against Rangers

The month of June is expected to be a make or break stretch for the Red Sox.  They finished up a three game set against the Yankees over the weekend and then the Rangers came to town.  Boston had been having issues with the Rangers for awhile.

06/04:  Red Sox 17 (36-23) Rangers 5
What a way to start a series.  Boston's offense exploded for 17 runs, scoring in every inning until the eighth when former Red Sox #1 pick David Murphy came in from the outfield to pitch for the Rangers and actually managed to hold the team scoreless for an inning.  The game featured home runs from Stephen Drew, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Mike Carp, and Jackie Bradley Jr.'s first career home run.  Lost in all of the offense was a strong game from Ryan Dempster against his old team.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

STEPHEN DREW:  4 for 5, home run, 2 doubles, 3 runs, 2 RBI

06/05:  Rangers 3 Red Sox 2 (36-24)

It was inevitable that the game after a massive offensive outburst that they would struggle to score.  Alexi Ogando seems to have Boston's number.  Craig Breslow took the loss.  John Lackey pitched very well in the loss as his rejuvenation continues.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

DUSTIN PEDROIA:  1 for 3, home run, walk

06/06:  Red Sox 6 (37-24) Rangers 3
David Ortiz walked off with a three run home run in the bottom of the ninth after Mike Napoli tied the game with a bases-loaded groundout in the seventh.  Andrew Bailey got the win but Jon Lester pitched reasonably well.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

JACOBY ELLSBURY:  4 for 5, 2 runs, 2 doubles

Red Sox Beat Yankees 2 Games to 1

It was a three-game weekend series against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.  Boston lined up their pitching pretty well with Jon Lester, Felix Doubront, and Clay Buchholz.

05/31:  Yankees 4 Red Sox 1 (33-23)
Jon Lester did not have much control and got hit hard once again.  C.C. Sabathia pitched well for the first time in a couple of games and Boston could not come through in the ninth inning against Mariano Rivera.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

DUSTIN PEDROIA:  3 for 4, run, 2 doubles.

06/01:  Red Sox 11 (34-23) Yankees 1
Felix Doubront just owns the Yankees.  Coupled with a massive offensive performance featuring a grand slam from Mike Napoli, a three run home run from Daniel Nava, and a solo shot from Stephen Drew, the Red Sox rolled to an easy victory.  Jackie Bradley Jr. came through with three hits including two doubles as well.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

MIKE NAPOLI:  3 for 5, grand slam, 5 RBIs.

06/02:  Red Sox 3 (35-23) Yankees 0
In a rain-shortened five-and-a-half inning game, Clay Buchholz got credit for a complete-game shutout, allowing only two hits.  Jose Iglesias and David Ortiz both homered for the Red Sox in a game that featured three rain delays before finally being called.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

CLAY BUCHHOLZ:  5 innings, 0 runs, 2 hits, 4 strikeouts, 1 walk, Win

05/17-05/19: Red Sox Sweep Twins

The Red Sox played the Twins in Minnesota this weekend.  They had a four game set in Fenway a couple of weeks ago and the Twins won three out of the four so Boston was looking for a little bit of revenge in this set.  They had it.

05/17: Red Sox 3 (25-17) Twins 2

This game went into extra innings.  It was a low-scoring game with the Red Sox tying it in the seventh and winning in the tenth.  The seventh win of the season once again eluded Clay Buchholz even though he pitched very well.  Jonny Gomes won the game in the 10th with a sacrifice fly, scoring Dustin Pedroia.  Alex Wilson got the win and Koji Uehara took the save.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

CLAY BUCHHOLZ:  7 innings, 2 earned runs, 9 strikeouts, 3 walks

05/18: Red Sox 12 (26-17) Twins 5

It was closer than the score appeared.  Boston pulled way ahead in the seventh inning.  Ryan Dempster was wild, walking six in less than five innings.  David Ortiz had a big game, hitting two home runs and driving in six.  Daniel Nava also homered.  Craig Breslow got his first win of the season.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

DAVID ORTIZ:  3 for 4, 3 runs, 6 RBIs, 2 home runs

05/19: Red Sox 5 (27-17) Twins 1

John Lackey got the win after pitching six innings of one-hit ball.  He came out after a three hour rain delay interrupted the game.  But Andrew Miller, Koji Uehara, and Junichi Tazawa kept up.  Will Middlebrooks and Dustin Pedroia each homered.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

DUSTIN PEDROIA:  2 for 5, 3 RBIs, 2 runs, home run

Pack Breaks 03/25

Today, between court hearings, I picked up a few packs.  For those that have not picked up on it, I am an attorney, I go to court a lot.

Anyway, I bought three rack packs today, two from 2013 Opening Day and one from 2012 Topps Chrome.  I do not buy a lot of either set, but I am getting to the point that I have most of the stuff from Flagship and Heritage.  I was a little apprehensive about the Chrome, because I was only getting 15 cards.  But for reasons that will become apparent, this was the best buy of the day.

The Opening Day stuff was not terribly impressive, especially since I now have three of several cards, including Mike Trout, which is a good problem to have.  Anyone want a 2013 Opening Day base Mike Trout?  Have any Red Sox from my wantlist?  Let me know.  I did pull some inserts as well.  Here is the breakdown:

Play Hard: Jay Bruce
Mascots: Bernie Brewer
Superstar Celebrations: Mike Olt
Ballpark Fun: Jurickson Profar
Opening Day Stars: Felix Hernandez
Blue Sparkle: Adam Wainwright
Base: Just ask

I did get #41 Dustin Pedroia for my Red Sox collection.

As for Chrome, I had a pretty good break.  The usual base cards, three orange retail refractors, and a regular refractor.  Here is the breakdown:

Refractor: Will Middlebrooks
Orange Refractor: Devin Mesoraco RC, Austin Romine RC, Ryan Howard
Base: Just ask

Obviously the Middlebrooks is the big one.  I am having pretty good luck with Middlebrooks cards in packs.  I have pulled three Middlebrooks parallels, and I only have 14 cards of him so far.  I also got the base Adrian Gonzalez, so two Red Sox, including a refractor, out of 15 cards.  Yep, the Chrome was well worth the money.  This time.

I apologize for the bad scan.

The non-Red Sox are for trade.

Pack Breaks 03/19/13

Yesterday I had to put my cat that I have had for half of my life to sleep.  It was a thoroughly depressing day and I was feeling pretty bad this morning still.  So since I was at Wal Mart picking up envelopes to mail cards for trades accomplished on one of the trading forums, I decided to pick up something cheap.  I saw rack packs of 2013 Opening Day, a product I don't typically pick up, and they were cheap, so I bought some.

I got two Red Sox:

42 Jon Lester

Ballpark Fun 1 Dustin Pedroia.  This is my favorite of the two cards.  Any time I add a Red Sox insert or parallel, I consider it a very successful buy.  I just don't seem to do it all that often.

03/01/2013 Red Sox 5 Pirates 2

This was a much cleaner game than the night before.  It also featured the Spring debut of Mike Napoli for the Red Sox.  By the way, these things will be longer and more detailed when the regular season starts.  Spring games are pretty meaningless.

Player of the Game: Dustin Pedroia (2 for 2, run, 2 RBIs)

02/25/2013: Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 2; Rays 6, Red Sox 3

Today the Red Sox played two split-squad games, one against the new-look Blue Jays and R.A. Dickey, and the other against the Rays.  Boston countered Dickey with their own knuckleballer, Steve Wright.

Player of the Game (Blue Jays): Jackie Bradley Jr. (3 for 3, double, RBI, run)

Player of the Game (Rays): Dustin Pedroia (1 for 3, home run)

Boxscore: May 7, 2012: Red Sox 11 Royals 5

For my birthday this year, my wife bought tickets to the Red Sox visiting the Royals on May 7.  This was the first game in six years that I been to, luckily it was another big offensive game for the Red Sox.

Felix Doubront took the mound for Boston on this night.  It was one of his big games after a Red Sox loss.  Doubront pitched 6.1 innings scattering seven hits.  He did give up five runs, only three of which were earned as Will Middlebrooks made an error in the game.  He struck out two and walked three.  This was not one of his better games, but it was enough.  Vicente Padilla pitched the rest of the game for a save.  His eephus pitch was used a few times that night.

The offensive hero of the night was Middlebrooks who connected for a three run home run in the first to right field and then a two run home run in the eighth to left.  He also doubled, going 3 for 5 on the night.  Dustin Pedroia hit a two-run home run and David Ortiz hit a solo shot as well.  Ortiz's was deep to center field.

Every Red Sox starter had at least one hit.  Pedroia and Cody Ross doubled, everyone else contributed at least a single.  Mike Aviles, Darnell McDonald, and Kelly Shoppach each had one hit.  Adrian Gonzalez and Marlon Byrd had two, with Gonzalez driving in a run.  Aviles and Pedroia each stole a base.  Nick Punto made it into the game at the end as a defensive replacement.

There was not a lot to say about the Royals offense.  Mike Moustakas doubled, but all of their other hits were singles.

Feature: Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups

Link.

This is one of my favorite baseball books. I can spend a long time on any given day just pouring over it. Unfortunately, it's a little out of date. It was released during the 2003 season and some of the information is even a little older than that. That said, it is a valuable resource.

Well, I recently dug it back out and reviewed the Red Sox information. Since it may be awhile before it gets updated, if ever, I figure I will add to it. I also have a couple of minor quibbles that I wanted to touch on.


ALL-TIME TEAM

DH: Neyer listed Jim Rice. At this point, I think the All-Time DH has to be David Ortiz. The most obvious reason is that Ortiz has played nearly twice as many games as Rice at DH. Of course, Ortiz being a regular DH for his entire career with the Red Sox also means that he has had his best seasons at DH, compared to Rice. I do not even need to discuss stats here, it is just obvious that Ortiz has taken over here.

RP: Neyer listed Dick Radatz here and I will make the argument that with Jonathan Papelbons first five seasons as a closer, that he may be taking over, assuming he continues to pitch well. Last year was not a good year, but Radatz was not nearly as good his last couple of years either. Papelbon was still at least decent last year. Provided he is not traded or continues to decline, it may be time to put Papelbon in this spot.


NUMBER TWO TEAM

DH: Neyer listed Carl Yastrzemski. Since Jim Rice fell off the All-Time Team, he will push Yaz back a spot.

C: Neyer listed Wally Schang. Schang was a great catcher, but played for a short amount of time for the Red Sox. I would list Jason Varitek, who has the Red Sox all-time record for games by a catcher and has beaten Carlton Fisk's club record for home runs by a catcher. Fisk was a better all around hitter and better defender, but Varitek is reasonably close, at his peak.

2B: Neyer listed Pete Runnels. Runnels was a better contact hitter than Dustin Pedroia, but Pedroia is pretty great himself and is a better fielder. I think Pedroia takes over here, due in major part to his 2008 AL MVP.

RP: Neyer listed Ellis Kinder. If Papelbon dethrones Radatz on the All-Time Team, then Radatz moves to the No. 2 team and knocks Kinder down a spot.


SINGLE-SEASON TEAM

DH: Neyer listed Jim Rice 1977. Pick a David Ortiz season. I think I will go with 2006, when Ortiz hit 54 home runs and drove in 137 RBIs. His slash line was .287/.413/.636/1.049. 2005 and 2007 are also great choices.

RP: Neyer listed Ellis Kinder 1953. I am inclined to go with Jonathan Papelbon's 2006. 0.92 ERA. Rookie year. Enough said.


ALL-ROOKIE TEAM

2B: Neyer listed Jody Reed 1988. Boston has not had a ton of great rookie second-basemen, but Pedroia did win the Rookie of the Year in 2008 and clearly deserved it. Automatically qualifies based on that.

SS: Neyer listed Johnny Pesky 1942. I have always considered this a bit of a mistake. Pesky had a great 1942, hitting .331 and leading the league in hits with 205. But Nomar Garciaparra also lead the league in hits in 1997, his rookie year, with 209. He also lead the league in triples and whereas his .306 average was not nearly as high as Pesky's, Garciaparra hit 30 home runs, drove in 98 runs, and stole 22 bases. Garciaparra's 1997 season was one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time, it should have been listed.


HOMEGROWN TEAM

2B: Neyer listed Jody Reed. For obvious reasons, Dustin Pedroia has taken over here.

RP: Neyer listed Sparky Lyle. I think Papelbon could eventually knock Lyle off the list. I am not sure he is there quite yet though.


TRADED AWAY TEAM

I do not have any changes to this team.


GOLD GLOVE TEAM

RF: Neyer picked Trot Nixon. I never agreed with this one either. I think Dwight Evans was one of the greatest defensive right fielders ever, and Nixon did not have nearly the arm strength Evans had. I think even Neyer has come to change his mind on this.


IRON GLOVE TEAM

I do not have any changes to this team.


ALL-BUST TEAM

C: Neyer listed Marc Sullivan. I am not sure Sullivan was a bust. He was never really expected to be a great player. John Marzano was selected in the first round of the 1984 draft, 14th overall, and never developed into even a regular catcher. Javy Lopez was brought in during the 2006 season to bring some stability to the position after Varitek went down with an injury and tanked. I think Marzano should be listed here because of the big expectations and near total letdown. Sorry Mr. Marzano. R.I.P.

CF: Neyer listed Carl Everett. I do not totally disagree, as Everett had a world of talent, but he was great in 2000. He was bad in 2001 and traded for Darren Oliver due to his personality clashes with management. However, Coco Crisp looked to be a big star when he was acquired and never came close to matching his expectations. At least Everett was great one year. Crisp was never even a good player for Boston, outstanding catches notwithstanding.


USED-TO-BE-GREAT

LF: Neyer listed Al Simmons. I have to go with Rickey Henderson here. Simmons was also a Hall of Famer, but Henderson was one of the greatest of all time.


ALL-NAME TEAM

2B: Neyer listed Pete Runnels, whose first name was really Thomas. Poor Runnels has been completely driven out of this book, because I am going with "Laser Show" Dustin Pedroia.

20/20 Seasons for the Red Sox

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been very interested in years where players exhibit power and speed. Obviously 40/40 and 30/30 seasons would be ideal here, but the Red Sox have never had one. So we'll have to settle for 20/20 and see how close the players came to the more elite groups. The Red Sox have had six 20/20 seasons in their history. Only one player has done it twice.

Nomar Garciaparra (1997): 30 home runs, 22 stolen bases. Further demonstrating how amazing his rookie season really was. Truly one of the best all-around seasons for a rookie ever. Too bad he could not stay healthy later on.

John Valentin (1995): 27 home runs, 20 stolen bases. I said it before, this was a great season that everyone somehow forgot about.

Ellis Burks (1987): 20 home runs, 27 stolen bases. Another player in his rookie year. Burks was not nearly the equal of Garciaparra at the plate though and the team eventually grew tired of his inability to perform up to his talent, which of course he finally achieved after leaving as a free agent.

Carl Yastrzemski (1970): 40 home runs, 23 stolen bases. A bit of a fluke, Yaz had decent speed, but never stole more than 13 in any other season.

Jackie Jensen (1959): 28 home runs, 20 stolen bases. See below.

Jackie Jensen (1954): 25 home runs, 22 stolen bases. Jensen is not a well-remembered player for some reason but he was an excellent all-around player in the 1950's. He retired too soon however. He was just 34 when he hung it up for good, and still a good player, but his fear of flying became too much for him to keep going. Jensen was the AL MVP in 1958, a three time All Star, and won a Gold Glove. If he could have tackled his fears, he could have been in the Hall of Fame. Who knows?

So yes, Jackie Jensen was the only Red Sox player to have two 20/20 seasons. I expect Dustin Pedroia to join this list soon, and it could have been this year, if he had not been lost to injury. Prior to going down with injury in June, Pedroia had 12 home runs and 9 stolen bases, he stole 20 each of the last two seasons. His career high so far in home runs is 17, but he looked to be well on his way to passing that this year.

I would love to see a 30/30 season in Boston.