Red Sox second baseman and former American League MVP Dustin Pedroia announced his retirement from baseball Monday. The 37-year-old was still under contract for the 2021 season but had managed to play in just nine games over the past three seasons due to a string of devastating knee injuries that required multiple surgeries. Notably, Sean McAdam of the Boston Sports Journal tweets that Pedroia will still be paid his $12MM salary in the upcoming season, and his $13.3MM average annual value will count against the luxury tax for the Red Sox.
“Dustin is so much more than his American League Most Valuable Player award, his All-Star Game selections, and the Gold Gloves he amassed throughout his impressive 17-year career in our organization,” Red Sox owner John Henry said in a press release announcing the move. “Dustin came to represent the kind of grit, passion, and competitive drive that resonates with baseball fans everywhere and especially with Red Sox fans. He played the game he loves in service to our club, its principles and in pursuit of championships. Most of all we are forever grateful to him for what he brought to our club and to our region as an important role model showing all of us how much one can accomplish with determination and hard work.”
Pedroia was a second-round pick out of Arizona State during the same 2004 season in which the Red Sox broke the Curse of the Bambino with their first World Series win in 86 years. They couldn’t have known it at the time, but that ’04 draft would play an integral part in further distancing themselves from said “curse,” as Pedroia was a key cog in the engine of two more World Series-winning rosters.
Barely two years after being signed, Pedroia made his big league debut in August 2006. His initial 31-game cup of coffee produced middling results, but Pedroia quickly put a lackluster debut behind him when he batted .317/.380/.442 en route to a runaway win in AL Rookie of the Year voting. Pedroia had a slow start in the postseason that year, but he picked up steam in the ALCS and played key roles in the postseason’s final two rounds.
Pedroia one-upped that marvelous rookie season just a year later when he was named American League MVP. In just his second fill big league season, Pedroia posted an excellent .326/.376/.493 slash with 17 home runs, an MLB-leading 54 doubles and 20 stolen bases. Pedroia also led the Majors with 213 hits that season, and his 118 runs scored paced the American League. He also took home the first of four career Gold Gloves and made the first of four All-Star Games during that brilliant season.
From 2007-17, Pedroia was quite simply one of the best all-around players in Major League Baseball. During that time, he put together a composite .302/.368/.442 slash with 138 home runs and steals apiece, all while playing high-quality defense for a near-perennial contender. He hit .301/.372/.415 with the Red Sox in 2013, again playing a huge role as the club secured a third World Series win in a span of 10 years.
Unfortunately for Pedroia, the Red Sox and their fans, he was hampered by left knee troubles throughout his 2017 season, and after three trips to the injured list eventually underwent a cartilage restoration procedure. He returned in 2018 after missing the start of the season, but troubles in his surgically repaired knee shelved him again after just three games. Pedroia didn’t play again in 2018, and he was limited to six games the following year due to continued setbacks. He underwent a “joint preservation” operation on that knee and did not appear at all the following year in 2020.
Pedroia revealed in a Zoom conference call with reporters today that he underwent a partial knee replacement in December and isn’t currently able to run, though he is at least walking pain-free for the first time in awhile (Twitter links via The Athletic’s Chad Jennings and the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier). Pedroia said he did “everything possible” to try to get back to the field, but the latest procedure finally made it a physical impossibility.
“I’m glad none of you guys got a chance to see me (last year),” said Pedroia. “I wasn’t in a good place. I grinded every day just to be able to play with my kids and live a normal life.”
The series of knee injuries is a disheartening way to see one of the current generation’s best talents wrap up a career. At one point, Pedroia looked to be marching toward Cooperstown. Because of his incredible peak, the individual hardware and his World Series rings, he’ll still have some supporters when he finds himself on the ballot, though he’ll be a more borderline case than most would’ve expected even a few years ago. His case will likely be an oft-debated one, but for a solid decade there’s little arguing that Pedroia was among the game’s elite.
All told, his career will draw to a close with a .299/.365/.439 batting line, 140 home runs, 394 doubles, 15 triples, 138 stolen bases, 1805 hits, 922 runs scored and 725 runs batted in. In addition to his Rookie of the Year and MVP honors, Pedroia made four All-Star teams, won four Gold Gloves and took home a Silver Slugger Award. Baseball-Reference credits him with 51.6 wins above replacement, while FanGraphs values him at 46.6 WAR. Pedroia earned more than $127MM in career earnings and stands alongside David Ortiz as a defining player in this generation of the Red Sox. Though the two couldn’t be more different in physical stature, both will go down as veritable titans in Red Sox lore. Best wishes to Pedroia in retirement.
Happy Retirement Dustin.
He’s a perfect example of a young player having underwhelming numbers in his first cup of coffee, to then live up to his potential. Well done!
I thought he retired years ago lol. But no good luck to him was a great player.
He was everything Rougned Odor should’ve been.
Very different players you rangers fans need to it and him go
Scuxe me, no dog in this fight but @Elvisismyhomeboy never said that they were the same type of player. What I got from the comment was that Odor had the talent but lacked what Pedroia had, grit, determination, the drive to win. If Odor had those qualities that Pedroia had, he woiuld have been the player that Pedroia was. Did not so was not.
What in the….?? They were in no way similar.
They’re both short, therefore they’re practically the same person.
Little man syndrome.
Hey everyone it’s Sasper!
B-Strong, great one, LOL!!!
Yeah avoid Mexico city I hear it can be hard to leave Frida Kahlo’s house.
I think that’s Elvis’s point. They could have been very similar players given their physical abilities.
What’s that? Odor and Pedroia are completely different
Odor had a much better right hook.
Except he’s not the one who smacked Bautista so +1 for Odor.
Odor threw the ball away fearing contact to end the 2016 ALDS against Bautista’s Blue Jays. Back to zero.
I will forever remember Odor for the punch he landed on Joey Bats. That was epic.
Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy 😉
Better to be punched out in June than knocked out in October.
GOT HEEEEM
Very solid career.
Since when do you characterize an MVP and one of the best players in MLB for a decade as having “a very solid career.”? Get a grip on reality.
relax dude… haven’t you ever heard a compliment before?
Saying he had a very Solid Career is a back handed slam of a borderline Hall of Famer like Dustin Pedroia.. Get a clue sir.
Love this guy. Happy trails buddy.
Good 2B. Red Sox’s fan is he a top 5 player in your franchise?
Not Top 5. Franchise is deep with all-time greats. If he’s Top 5 he’s a first ballot Hall of Famer. No disrespect here. Pedroia had a great run.
Agreed, great player who got most out of his ability. But he’d be lucky to be in the top 20 in that franchise!
Would have had a shot at the HOF had he not gotten hurt. Sadly others had careers shortened by injuries also. Look up though his stats as a lead off hitter. They will blow you away.
not top 5 in organization. but a top 5 Redsox 2nd baseman. maybe top 25 but for an organization as old as the Sox thats not not bad
Not even close to top 5
No, but certainly top 20, maybe even top 15. If you go by rWAR, he ranks 11th all time.
Top 5 is probably something like:
Ted Williams
Yaz
Pedro
Clemens
Rice
That Cy Young dude was decent too.
I would put Ortiz above Rice, Pedro, and Clemens. He was better than Rice, and Pedro/Clemens mainly due to time spent with Sox.. Boggs is another that should have some consideration.
I think you could make a case for Pedroia being the best 2B though. One of my favorite players and the game is lesser without him involved.
Ever hear of Bobby Doerr?
No Clemens, Ortiz or Manny on my list. If I believe they each cheated, why would I believe they were ever clean? I can’t go back before the late 60s although TW was certainly the greatest. To me:
1. Pedro
2. Yaz
3. Boggs
4. Rice
5. Evans/Tiant
Inc: Tony C. Just imagine what could have been.
if you eating chicken you cheater too
Is chicken and beer ok?
Don’t forget the Babe.
Tris Speaker, Jimmie Foxx, Babe Ruth, Calton Fisk, David Ortiz, many many more
Ted
Ortiz
Yaz
Pedro
CY
Rice
Clemens
Babe Ruth
tek
tris speaker
foxx
doerr
smoky joe wood
petrocelli
manny
No, but too 5 2B for Sox? I’d say yes.. He and Youkilis will always be intertwined as the Pulse of the Sox teams they were on but not too 5’ers overall..
The Sox had Babe Ruth, Cy Young, Rioger Clemens, Lefty Grove, Jimmy Foxx, Tris Speaker, Ted Williams, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, and at least 40 other Hall of Fame talents play there in the Club’s 120 year history. You tell me if he is top 5 in the club’s history?
It sucks that Manny Machado had to ruin his career
Exactly my thoughts. As if the guy didn’t already give me enough reasons to not like him before then he had to drop a slide like that. I kind of feel the same way about Middlebrooks getting hit on the hand, too. We needed a 3B power bat at the time, and I believed he was the answer. :/
Thank you Laser Show!!!!
What a fantastic career. Good luck DP
Elite player, skillset and baseball IQ but one of the dumbest narratives ever was that he was a “grinder” who “hustled hard”. No he didn’t, he was a legit superstar who dominated the game from 2007 until his injury in 2017 and he played just like all other elite superstars do.
If Puckett is in the HOF, Pedroia goes in too. Happy trails, DP.
Wrong, Puckett played 12 years, 10 consecutive years at playing at what was the time an great to elite level, though you could make the argument for the other 2 as they were great years minus power hitting, so basically 12 years of great to elite level. 10x AS, 6x GG etc. Pedroia played 14 seasons, and only 7 of those could be really considered great to elite level based on the era he played in, and only 4 AS and 4 GG, the player Pedroia probably has a better comparison to is Nomar Garciaparra and Nomar was the far better player and isn’t HOF caliber either.
Than why isn’t all that actually reflected in his stats? Puckett had only four seasons where his fWAR was 4.0 or higher. I’m not sure where your ‘great-to-elite’ comes from. (Pedroia had 6, actually!)
There is a *perception* that Puckett was, well, a lot more than he actually was. But it doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.
And sure, WAR isn’t a be-all, end-all statistic, but it does a pretty good job accounting for ‘elite’ and ‘excellent’ And Puckett simply wasn’t there. for much of his career.
An extremely popular player, occasionally great, typically quite good. But that popularity trumps everything (including the domestic violence…)
Stop with the WAR it’s a nonsense stat. Puckett was top ten in MVP votes for seven out of his twelve seasons. In 12 seasons he amassed 2300 hits had a career .318 average had 1000 plus runs and RBIs and had an ops just north of .830. Oh and by the way he also won 6 gold gloves. He was great.
I agree with this. Puckett was a great player, but he’s treated as if he were inner circle elite. If judge by peak which is all Puckett had with no decline years he’s in, if a similar eye is used with Pedroia I think he gets in, however he did unfortunately had a horrible decline phase because of injury (last you see is three years lost to injury) which I believe hurts him again in the end.
You could look at Albert Belle who was a beast before his hip issues
I guess another point is they played in two different eras. The era Puckett played in had lesser offensive stats, making his superlative numbers even more noteworthy. Imagine if he had played in the 2000’s.
I have tremendous respect for Pedroia. I can’t overstate that. But it seems pretty clear that Puckett was the superior ballplayer. But Pedroia is the superior human being.
That raises an interesting point – Pedroia was in an offensive era because of steroids,- which he didn’t use. (never been a hint or suspicion – unlike Puckett) So comparing Pedroia to his PEDs using peers (like Cano) makes his case appear even stronger.
But now at least you are starting to make an argument, so respect for that. That’s my entire point – Pedroia has an extremely good argument to make in comparison to Puckett as a HOF candidate.
It’s a valid discussion, and one that will be fun to have in five years.
WAR is a counting stat, it is 100% not “nonsense”.
Forget saber stats. Puckett got in on sympathy due to his sad, premature death. He didn’t wait five years. Reminds of my discussion on the radio almost one year ago with Diana Munson who said there was an offer to change the rules for Thurman and she declined believing he never would have wanted special rules. If they waited five years for Puckett, I don’t believe he gets in. In comparing the two as good as Kirby was, Munson was the far greater and more important player on the field. I said it before and to Diana then. When Munson died, I then realized my hatred for the player was in actuality respect.
Marty, when computers first became important in people’s lives, the expression GIGO was created, Garbage in, garbage out.
He was elected in 2001, after retiring in 1995, and died in 2006.
You’re confused about something, because Kirby didn’t give his inauguration speech as a ghost!
Puckett’s rookie season was far from elite Pedroia was not on Steroids. Puckett who gained 85 pounds his first 3 years in the league clearly was on Steroids. Kirby was in frequent legal Trouble for his Roid rage after his career ended. I do not think that is a legitimate reason to keep Puckett out of the Hall .Still Pedroia’s entire career was in the Steroid Testing era. They are comparable players but Pedroia had 6 years where injuries made him ineligible for most awards.. Puckett missed a few years at the end but how many we must guess. Both played Well enough to get in but Pedroia won’t. Even though his career ending injury was no more his fault than Puckett’s Glaucoma was his. Pedroia had magnificent years in 2007, 2011 and 2016 but was not an All Star or Silver Slugger Award winner in any of those seasons. Which shows that how many times you win an Honor, is not a legitmate basis for comparison.Especially when their were 4 more teams during Pedroia’s time making it harder to be picked as an All Star. Since every team gets 1 pick. Both were Franchise Quality players with short but brilliant careers..
g
I never even thought about Puckett using. If he did, no way he should have been elected (IMHO). Cheaters mask the true accomplishment of others, took more salary that could have been earned by others and while it can be proven on who individually it cost, took job opportunities away from others.
From about 1980-2001 approximately 75% of players in the Game were using,That is true of Hall of Famers and Scrubs. Until after 2005 when testing was implemented the playing field was level. Most players used some type of PED from Greenies to Steroids & more.Managers, GM’s and players knew and no one said a word. Players who did not use but kept quiet were as guilty as those who used. I’m glad Steroids are outlawed today. That said Peds do not make you a better hitter or pitcher. You have to have the coordination, skill and dedication to succeed in Baseball . Steroids might make the best players 3% or so better and most 1-2%. An edge but more like a Spitball 0r Corked bat than a Magic wand.
And if Jim Rice is in the HoF, then Dick Allen goes in too. This argument can be made for several dozen players, and it would result in a massive sized Hall of Really, Really Good.
There are too few players in the HOF, period. It should be much bigger than it is.
THE Hall has far too few players in even if a Few like Harold Baines and Jack Morris were poor choices. Rice earned the Hall and Allen did too.But Allen had his career shortened because he was seen an uppity Minority by racist whites for complaining about poor treatment by fans in Philly. His last seaspn was a down year but a white slugger would have been given more chances to rebound and lengthen his career
.
If Mattingly is not in the hall of fame, neither should DP. The great for too short of a time argument should apply to both.
Mattingly had far less very good years once you consider he was a 1B. Honestly I don’t think he should have even gotten the 5% to stay on the ballot.
Both played 14 years.
-Mattingly had 7003 ab, .307 ba, 222 hrs, .358 obp, 14sbs, 42.4 WAR. 9 GG and 1 MVP
-Peds had 6777 ab .299 ba, 140 hrs, .365 obp, 138sbs, 51.6 WAR. 3GG and 1 MVP.
The stats are so similar and for the same length of time. Good for too short. If Mattingly is not in the Hall and that is the standard, no HOF for Peds.
different positions. people take that into consideration. a 1st baseman should have a lot better stats then a 2nd baseman.
So many other good to great but not quite HOF 1Bman in Mattingly’s overlapping era like Garvey, Buckner, Cooper and Hernandez to name just four.
He actually compares very well to David Wright. Both careers ended from injury
Wright-WAR 49.2 , AB 5998, H 1777, HR 242, BA .296, R 949 RBI 970 OBP .376, SLG .491, OPS 867
Pedroia- WAR 51..6, AB 6031, H 1805, HR 140, BA .299, R 922, RBI 725, OBP .365, SLG 439, OPS 805
The most glaring difference is the power numbers..
Position matters. All First Basemen hit well. Few 2nd sackers do. when Mattingly played there were fewer teams making it easier to win Awards and Honors. So Comparing All Star and Gold Glove numbers from different era’s is a joke. Mattingly played Full time from his Call up in 1983 until his career ended in 1995. He finished with 7,722 Plate appearances. 3 of Pedroia’s 14 years combined add up to 132 plate appearances and other years were shortened by injury. Pedroia finished with 6,777 Plate appearances. About 1,ooo fewer trips to the plate for Pedroia.Roughly 2 less seasons for Pedroia. Pedroia played about 11 full seasons and Mattingly almost 13. Both Superstars.. That Said I expect more from a First Baseman than I do from a 2nd Baseman to make Cooperstown. They are near equal at the plate with Mattingly having an edge. In the field However the difference is immense. In spite of Mattingly’s 9 Gold Gloves he saved his team 33 runs in about 13 years and had a D-WAR total of -6.2. Pedroia saved his team 97 runs over the equivalent of 11 years & had a D-WAR rating of 15.3. Pedroia saved his team about 9 runs a year while Mattingly saved his team about 2.-3 runs a year. Mattingly won his Gold Gloves with his bat & his reputation as a smooth fielder. Before Sabermetrics Defensive Awards were given to Nice guys with Good Reputations. In 1999 Rafael Palmeiro won the Gold Glove at First in the AL. Too bad he was a Full Time DH who only played 28 games at First. After about 2012 the Gold gloves added a Sabermetric ratings part to winning the Award.Since then the Awards now are usually won by players who deserve them. MyVerdict is that these players are even overall but Mattingly is a top 5 % 1st baseman. Pedroia however was a top 1% 2nd baseman.Mattingly is Hall of Very Good and Pedroia is Hall of Fame. Pedroia compares well with Joe gordon Bobby Doerr & Nellie Fox. Mattingly is Hopelessly outclassed by Gehrig, Foxx, Thomas & contemporaries like Eddie Murray in the Hall. Position Matters!!!
I’m just using Mattingly as an example. You can use other players if you want. DP is not HOF. You may love him, but no way. Palmeiro is not in the HOF because of roids. When Mattingly played…there were fewer team? What kind of argument is that? 4 teams? So everyone before 1992 is garbage? Sorry Ozzie Smith, your D sucked because we didn’t have the fish and rox around. I agree, it is not a fair comparison of a 1b vs. a 2b. I used Mattingly because he’s one of the first players to come to my head of really good players for a short time. If you watched baseball in the 80’s, Mattingly was one of the top players. Near the top of BA and HRs and all the other old school stats. But his back went out and that ended it. Also the juiced ball period started and his stats didn’t stand out as much. DP needed 3-4 more years. As probably did Mattingly. And don’t respond to this with a book. I’ll zone out.
Yes he hustled hard and yes he was a grinder in addition to the other superlatives.
HoF for Pedroia You must be high. Watch out for the DEA
Congratulations! He is the player I told my son he should mimic. Always gave 100%
Funny how all the short white players are 100% effort grinders worthy of our eternal reverence. Actually, he was just a great, very talented player, like all the other great, talented players. They all work hard or they wouldn’t even get to the majors, let alone dominate there.
why did you have to try to make this about race?
What does race have to do with your comment?
Sad
He deserves it. He worked his tail off to try and come back. Mentally and physically gave it his all, but his body wouldn’t cooperate.
Fun Fact: Dustin Pedroia is underrated.
How’s that? He won both RoY and MVP awards during his career.
He probably could’ve gotten more. He, from afar, looked like a very good player. He was under appreciated
Correct, and it’s due to his size, position and skin color which made lazy writers default to “grinder” when he was in fact elite in almost every facet of the game. If he was a different race he’d been viewed as a “toolsy superstar” and not one word about his “hustle”. Fantastic player we should have never judged a book by its cover for and correctly identified him as a HOF-level talent from day 1, instead of the “he had to hustle and work hard to get to where he is today” narrative he always seemed to get from a LOT of writers…
Elite in your mind and probably in a guy who idolized him…Joe Buck….only by todays over analytics….a terrific and tough player who was the heart of some really great Red Sox teams (and that’s coming from a Yankee fan) and truly had some very good award winning seasons but to characterize his full career as elite….you better go back and look at his stats year on year again before you say that. For example look at his 2014 and 2015 seasons…would you call them elite?
That being said, happy retirement to a very, very good player who should be a role model for the younger players of today.
People seem to forget that Pedroia was pudgy and out of shape when he first started with the Red Sox (as was Kevin Youkilis for that matter). Both players worked their tails off to get into great shape, eat well and really maximize their talent through hard work and dedication to their profession. I believe this is why both players are considered to be grinders and hard working because neither were physically gifted when they started their careers. It has nothing to do with their skin color. Sad too see DP leave the game this way but it really helps the Red Sox and their 40 man roster crunch. Glad that Boston agreed to pay his full salary this year and did not pressure him for a settlement. He earned every cent that Boston paid him; you can’t say that about a lot of players.
Baseball players literally do not have to be in shape or have a certain body type to succeed – its why its the best game!
Well said. He did earn his salary especially since he took a very team friendly deal. He’ll always be the “muddy chicken” to me.
I expect to see him back on the bench in some capacity in the very near future.
He also won four Gold Gloves and was an Allstar four times
His defense kept improving as his intellectual on field skills got better. When you look at who the team had in the infield for most of his career, he was under appreciated in the field.
Surprised they didn’t work something out money wise to have him retire and give him some lump sum of the 12MM owed
12mil dollar going away present. Nice
the article says he is still getting his $12mm.
Got it all in Game Stop stock.
Of course he got paid. Never in doubt.
He showed up to play hard every game…..very unusual in this day of entitled “athletes”.
Bye
Good luck in retirement Dustin.
Not a Sox fan but crazy respect to Dusty Pete. On numbers alone he’s borderline HOF, but based on circumstances I think he should make it. Probably would’ve been a lock had he played these lost years and brought so much extra to the team. Hope his post-playing career is as successful.
Got Hyperbole?
More qualified for the Hall of Fame than first-ballot Kirby Puckett
Funny.
Sounds like someone hasn’t actually checked anything.
more hardware (MVP, ROY)
more fWAR in 20% fewer plate appearances
The Hall rewards players to a rather out-sized degree whose careers have ended abruptly.
Even Kirby could see that you’re wrong.
Pedroia’s injuries were somewhat caused by wear and tear. Puckett’s was a freak injury discovered after being beaned (whether the two were related is up for debate) and had little/nothing to do with the day-to-day grind.
Pedroia’s injuries were somewhat caused by wear and tear. Puckett’s was a freak injury discovered after being beaned (whether the two were related is up for debate) and had little/nothing to do with the day-to-day grind.
As far as hardware: both won two W.S. titles. Pedroia won an MVP though Puckett easily deserved 1992 MVP over Eck. Playing in Pedroia’s time, he would have won it. (Him or Boggs deserved MVP more than Canseco in 1988 but that 40/40 club would have been harder to counteract even today). Puckett did win an ALCS MVP, hit the game-winning homerun in 1991 game 6 W.S., and won Clemente and Rickey awards. Though, his allegations of assault, etc, had they become front and center BEFORE his HOF vote, would have perhaps stopped Pucket from getting in, especially in today’s climate..
The Gator should have been MVP in 1988
Like Jeter, the contributions went beyond the back of the baseball card. HOF? Mmmmm, dunno. Definitely the Hall of the Very Good. And a literal joy to watch. Gonna miss him.
My guy! I knew it was coming, just never prepared for the bad news. Gonna miss seeing that sweet swing of his and watching him make a diving play to rob someone of a knock. Best wishes to him and his family in retirement.
Pedroyer!
As Jerry Remy would say. I always liked him as a player. And Remy too!
As a Yankees fan, I can give no higher compliment than I so hated him. Happy retirement.
Long one of my favourites. He was an amazing player and he will be greatly missed in the game.
Honestly I thought he retired 2 years ago.
He was hurt because of Machado otherwise he would’ve still been playing
Similar to Bobby Doerr who is in the Hall of Fame. He would make it because he’s an excellent second baseman, but I don’t think it’s an easy call to make.
You will be missed Pedroia.
Pedroia will go down as one of my favorites of all time!
Need a picture of Dustin next to the definition of grit in the dictionary.
Classy move by Boston
I know he lives in Arizona, but given the Sox have had such a “blah” off-season, naming Dirt Dog to some kind of public relations position makes sense. Again, it’s less that the Sox are good or bad, and more that they’re just boring. And that doesn’t fit into John Henry’s universe.
Now he’s just Dustin the wind.
Always makes me feel old. He had a terrific 10-year run, and I enjoyed watching him.
Even during pre-game practice he was an absolute work horse. One of my favorite players to watch and root for even though I can’t stand the Red Sox being a life long M’s fan. Happy retirement Dustin, thank you playing the best game ever.
How can a player retire and still deserve pay?
Because the team asked him to to get a valuable 40 man spot back.
Very good career, despite playing in just a grand total of 114 games in his last 3 seasons combined.
He was everything I wanted Cano to be.. a hustler a gritty player who you didn’t want to be up in pressure situations if your a Yankee fan. Good riddance and God Bless. A gritty player. A Red Sox through and through.
I would swore he retired back in the Obama administration
He was hurt thanks to Machado
HOF
Then we need to call it something else. Hall of Really, Really Good (HoRRG)?
No way
I feel privileged to have watched him play. Wish he could have played in ‘18.
As a Jays fan, I HATED seeing this guy come to the plate with runners on base. I swear, every single time he would rip a double into the gaps and then rob us with a game saving stop.
As much as Big Papi and Manny terrorized the Jays, it always seemed like Pedroia had our number. EVERY SINGLE TIME.
It sucks to end the way it did for him but he was a hell of a player and having been to Fenway and seeing the amount of Pedroia jerseys in the crowd, you could tell how much he meant to the city. Even without having visited there you could tell.
Happy retirement Dustin.
One of my favorite players of all time…thank you for all you’ve given to the fans and the game, Dustin.
Congratulations on a solid career – played like he actually enjoyed the game – liked his competitive edge – probably belongs in the Hall of Very Good
Great career. I immediately thought, is he a HOFer? A good comp would be mattingly. An MVP team leader, with a HOF trajectory who was cut short by injury.
What!!!? Why???
I wore a Dustin Pedroia Jersey when I married my wife. (We eloped and it was just us and the JP.) Love Dustin.
Borderline HOF had he stayed healthy.
Solid career. He could’ve been playing the last few years but Machado……
Pedroia was an gritty ball player that fought for everything he did in the game. HOF I don’t know, but if he gets in then Jeff Kent should be in with him. Check out Kent’s numbers and tell me he doesn’t belong.
It’s not that Kent is not in ( he should be) it’s that he not even close, is the mystery???
Kent definitely should be in. Yes I’m a Giants fan so I’m somewhat biased but he is one of the hardest hitting second baseman EVER. The only reason he’s overlooked is because he was in Bonds’ shadow
Manny was the real threat on those Sox teams!
and Grich, Utley, Cano, and Kinsler!!
As a Sox fan, Kent first. Then Pedie and Grich. I’m not a Whitaker fan but there’s so much love for him that he too would have to be in the discussion.
It’s to bad he got hurt We the fans lost out on seeing someone special make more highlight plays look easy. Good Luck Dustin happy retirement.
Don’t think we’ve seen the last of him. I could definitely see him as Red Sox manager some day
As a Red Sox fan, I feel very grateful that Pedroia spent his entire career in a Red Sox uniform. I hope he will retain a role within the organization.
His body retired 5 yrs ago.
True meaning of “DIRT DOG”…… Thanks for the laser shows!!!!!!!
Red Sox Hall of Fame for sure, not sure about Cooperstown, But he was a joy to watch! I hope he goes into coaching w/ Boston
I’m sure his knees, who retired three years ago, will be happy that the rest of his body is finally joining them at the resort.
Pedroia was everything you’d want a player to be and really earned the mantle of a dirt dog. Overall he was just fun to watch because he put everything he had into every game he played.
If you ever want to know how serious the guy was about winning just look up “Dustin Pedroia Arizona State scholarship.” The man was dedicated.
I doubt he’ll ever be a manager but I can definitely see him staying around baseball in some coaching or front office role.
Tried to trade him to the LA Rams; they went with Stafford instead.
Congrats on a great career. It’s a shame injuries limited his accolades.
It was inevitable. Machado ended his career. It is too bad. He was more an old fashioned, blue collar type of player.
See you in Cooperstown Dustin!
Tickets are $34.99
Just checked. Adult cost is only $25. Not sure if like for amusement park rides if there’s a height chart. If there is, he might be able to pay less.
Hall of Fame is too restrictive. Too many players are rewarded for either reaching majors and beginning to accumulate stats at a young age and/or in a less than stellar winding down of career. Meanwhile a number of players are not rewarded for being great for a 10 year stretch in the prime of their career. Pedroia is one and there are others who were “famous” in their day, had extended credentials to objectively support that position and deserve to be in the Hall. They just didn’t accumulate an extra less meaningful 500 hits spread out over a few seasons at the tail end of their career to hit an arbitrary round number plateau.
Oriole killer. Great player. Loved his play style
And an Oriole pretty much killed his career. Ironic.
It is unfortunate his career was ended by injuries. He seemed on track to be a solid HOF candidate… but 2 WS championships, ROY, MVP, 4x AS, and 4 GG’s. Wow, what a career! Plus, that $100 million he made was probably pretty nice too, ha.
Hall of Pretty Good. His lone MVP season is one of the weaker ones.
Why is he listed as only having 2 World Series? Pretty sure it was 3.
It would seem to me he is gifting the RedSox with this move.. The longer you are on an MLB roster one would presume more benefits. are accrued such as a pension plan, paid health care, etc. Regarding the 40 man roster spot that is easily given up by putting him on the 60 day DL. Maybe there is a wink and a handshake for some other retirement incentive that is not disclosed.
He is also getting $2m/year in deferred salary from 2021-2024 which then bumps up to $2.5m/year for 2025-2028.
Makes it a lot easier to retire when you are going to get paid for it.
Its called a pension
Well not exactly in this case. –he’s getting paid deferred money from previous years.
His pension will take effect at a later point in his life — he could start drawing at age 45 (around $70K/year) or wait until later (up until age 62, when it would be something around $225K/year).
Also MLB pensions are only calculated up to 10 years.
3 world series rings, 2 of which he was a major contributor. A ROY, MVP, numerous gold gloves and all star games. A future redsox hall of famer and i hope some day he is in Cooperstown.
Just another player overrated because he played on the East Coast. A couple of very good seasons, some respectable seasons and a lot of part time. Let’s build a statue for him because he played in Boston.
He was the real deal. I denied him in 2006 and was wrong. This guy played with character and was excellent defensively. There is East Coast bias, I get it, but this guy is the real deal when healthy.
Peddy was a tough, gritty player,but will have to wait in line for the HOF. Grich, Kent, Utley, Cano, and Kinsler. unless they are running for class president!
won’t even make the third floor basement custodial closet in the hall of fame
About time…. thanks for the memories
No way!! He’s been a beast the last couple of years
Pedroia is Hall of Very Good, not Hall of Fame. That said he should certainly have his number retired by the Sox and join *their* Hall of Fame.
Sad his career ended this way but it was long overdue.
He was Hall of Fame quality but will not make it because he lacked longevity.
Machado is and will always be busch league. This here is just one example.
Sad to see so many folks try to defend him over the years in order to justify the signing/a potential signing of him. The talent is undeniable, but he leaves a lot to be desired personality-wise.
And in this case, the problem is less that he ended Pedroia’s career and more that Pedroia is now going to likely have knee issues for the rest of his life. For a middle-aged guy with young kids that’s a real bummer. And it was entirely unnecessary.
Yes. Manny ended it for DP… I Hate Manny.
1805 hits in a career will never be in the hall of fame, won’t make past first consideration.
Pedroia may have moved on from the Machado incident and be at peace with the impetus to how his career ended, but fans of his may not.
Would have easily been in the Hall of Fame if he wasn’t injured.
“You can’t spell Pedoria without PED.
-Manny Machado
You can’t spell doucheb@$ without DO……….the rest of the league
Red Sox great. Can’t wait to see 15 next to the other Beantown legends.