He’s Just A Kid

When I hear people claiming that the Red Sox are the new Yankees, I can’t help by laugh. I hear Brian Cashman stating his new dedication to getting younger and I can see him putting what’s best for the team ahead of loyalties for individual players. It looks like the Yankees may have finally realized that baseball is in fact a business, not a welfare program. But didn’t the Red Sox dedicate themselves to getting younger 3 years ago when Epstein took over? Did Epstein not already put what’s best for individual players behind what’s best for the team? Sure the Yankees are finally letting go of Bernie Williams but hasn’t Epstein already let go of Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez (both of which make him look really smart right now by the way)? Could it be in fact that it’s the Yankees who are trying to become the new Red Sox?
I digress. There is a reason why I’m bringing these things up. There’s nothing more exciting than watching young baseball players, the product of often a decade of hard work and speculation, finally attain their dreams in the majors. It’s something that’s now been an integral part of the Red Sox philosophy for 3 years now, and we’re finally beginning to reap it’s benefits. So leading up to the regular season, I’m going to take a look at some of our younger players and give you an idea of what to expect in the future. I’d love to write something on Wily Mo Pena but given the latest poll, I have a feeling someone else may have similar plans and I wouldn’t want to steal anyone’s thunder. So instead, I will begin by taking a look at Red Sox second baseman of the future.
Meet the incredible Dustin Pedroia. He stands above, dwarfed by his new 6’1” double play partner Julio Lugo. At 5’9” Pedroia is only two inches taller than World Series MVP David Eckstein and only about 10 pounds heavier. In the history of the game there have been less than 600 players shorter than him. Still, at only 23 years of age, less than 3 years removed from college, Pedroia goes into the 2007 season as the Red Sox starting second baseman. And why not? He’s a lifetime .308/.392/.454 hitter in the minor leagues. In his brief minor league career he’s been the Red Sox minor league base runner of the month, the winner of the Red Sox minor league Quality Plate Appearances Award, a Post-Season Eastern League All-Star, a Red Sox minor league Offensive Player of the Year and an International League All-Star. Good things do in fact come in small packages.
I’ll begin my bio of the second baseman of the future in 2002, his first year at Arizona State. In his first year with Arizona State, Pedroia played in 58 games. Over that period he hit .347/.432/.417. That would have been impressive enough but his next two years were the truly impressive ones. In 2003 with Arizona State, Pedroia hit .404/.472/.579 while scoring 83 runs and driving in 52 in 68 games. He was then selected as the 2004 Pac-10 player of the year. Then in his final year with Arizona in 2004, Pedroia hit .393/.502/.611 while scoring 78 runs and driving in 49 in 59 games. That was good enough for a second place finish in the voting for that year’s Pac-10 player of the year. In their first pick of the 2004 amateur draft (65th overall) the Red Sox made it a point to select the then star shortstop. He didn’t disappoint. The Red Sox sent him directly to A where he hit .400/.474/.560 in 12 games. He then began his first minor league season in AA Portland.
It was in 2005 that he first became a second baseman. He was transitioned to the position in his first minor league season due to his size. Many members of the Red Sox organization simply didn’t think he was large enough to succeed as a major league shortstop. Even though he was at an unfamiliar position, Pedroia manged to hit .324/.409/.508 for the Portland Sea Dogs before finishing his first minor league season at the AAA level. In his new promotion to AAA he saw his first setback. In the 51 games that he played for the Pawtucket Red Sox in 2005, Pedroia hit .255/.356/.382. It was by far his worst stint at any level since 2002. Although the setback shouldn’t be surprising considering how fast he climbed through the minors, a knee injury Pedroia received in June could account for much of it. He seemed determined to prove so in 2006. He began just his second minor league season in AAA and proved that it was where he truly belonged. In 111 games with the Pawtucket Red Sox Pedroia hit .305/.384/.426 and was promoted to the Red Sox.
Pedroia began his major league stint successfully. In his major league debut (August 22nd), he made his first major league at bat with the bases loaded. He responded by hitting the ball hard up the middle but was robbed by a leaping catch. Not one to be discouraged, he then recorded a hit in his second major league at bat. After that, Pedroia struggled. Overall, Pedroia’s major league stats don’t look all that impressive. Over 89 at bats Pedroia hit .191/.258/.303 but call up numbers are rarely an indication of how players will do later (see Manny Ramirez). Pedroia also clearly began to adjust to major league pitching. In his last 40 at bats he hit .275 and got on base at a clip of .375.
Oh yeah, and don’t forget…

Minnesota Twins @ Boston Red Sox – 7:05 TONIGHT

Lineup
1. Julio Lugo, SS
2. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Jason Varitek, C
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. Wily Mo Pena, RF
7. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
8. David Murphy, LF
9. Jacob Ellsbury, CF
Probable Pitchers
Curt Schilling
Joel Pineiro
Brendan Donnelly
Julian Tavarez
Manny Delcarmen
J.C. Romero
Bryan Corey
Renelvys Hernandez
Really narrows it down, doesn’t it?
NOTE BY EVAN: It’s a good thing Mike didn’t steal my Wily Mo Pena thunder! You’ll read about him tomorrow. Speaking of young people, do you have Sox on Deck bookmarked? It’s a site dedicated to the Red Sox minor leagues, with reliever Bryce Cox (keep that name in mind) profiled yesterday. Jeff Natale was today.