Small wonder

I'm a dude, and totally hetero, but I am in love with Dustin Destroia.

Curious about how Pedroia's sophmore numbers compare with other Red Sox stellar rookies, such as Fred Lynn, or Boggs and Nomar. Pedroia's certainly made a shambles of the so-called "sophmore jinx." If he gets on the SI cover, maybe he can put that jinx to rest as well.

I would have to narrow it down to Quentin or Pedroia. I just have a really hard time thinking that Quinten has been as clutch as Pedroia, or is anything close to the master defensively that Pedey is. Not to mention, that park he plays in in Chicago is a total bandbox, and the lineup is filled with mashers.

Being in Boston, if DP leads the league in batting average and leads this team to the playoffs, in conjunction with Chicago failing to make the playoffs seals the MVP for him. Papi got hosed a couple of times though, so I wouldnt be surprised to see some jabroni like Morneau win another undeserving MVP award. Y

I think Red Sox Fatigue makes it harder for one of our guys to win these things. Witness Josh Beckett vs. C.C.

Guys, let's take it easy. Yes, Pedie has been killing it lately, and I absolutely LOVE watching him bat - he's making it look so damn easy.

However, the MVP is a full season award, and he's had his biggest impact since the All Star break, whereas his production before the midway point was pretty pedestrian (in MVP terms, anyway).

He may take the award of Red Sox MVP from Youk before the season is through, but no way is he winning the league MVP.

He should be the MVP. Hamilton would have to pull an Andre Dawson as a great hitter on a lousy team. Sox have had more injuries and Pedroia has stepped it up. Love the Joe Morgan comparison but go lightly on Morgan. Bad anouncer but great second baseman.

Giving a guy credit for most hits and most multiple hit games is like giving him credit for being short in inches and in centimeters.

absolutely, love him!!

And there is no way he is actually 5' 9''...

Ok pedroia is probably one the best second base man for the redsox of all time. He will win MVP if he keeps this rate up. He is better then youk these followin games and he has a better OBP, and AVG then josh hamilton and carlos quentin. By the way Quentin is not goin to win MVP for his fricken damn life. I'm only 12 but im the biggest redsox fan u will find around here. Pedroia is winning the MVP.

...and ,of course, Pedie just hit another HR.

AK - you're right in regards to the spirit of the award - all season long production, but that's only part of the story. To wit:
- Papi lost out because the defense is also factored in and DP has been stellar all season long
- The other contenders are in the same boat, and for that reason are either in or out (like Hamilton - incredible first half, but even though his drop off still puts him in great company, he just doesn't stand out anymore). No one has excelled all season long, so better to outperform at the end than anywhere else.
- If DP can maintain this - or close to this - for the rest of the season, that covers short and long term offensive memories -- he's hit close to 400 over the last 66 games... a sample size most writers tend to not look beyond -- unless the previous performance was below-pedestrian.
- Oh yeah, and so far today, he's 2 for 3 with a homer in Clean-up. That makes him some thing like 11 for 17 in that role. (He's doing an inverse Chipper - picking his average up at the end, rather than the beginning of a season -- he's picked his avr up .018 points in the last six days)

My daughter and I saw Pedie play his first game at Fenway and I thought he wouldn't make it. I thought we had another Jody Reed. BUT...Pedie has shown he has so much self confidence and wants to prove himself everyday. Love to watch him go after grounders that no one else could get, jump after seemingly unhittable pitches, hit it "where they aint" and swing his arms as he struts around the bases. He makes the whole team play harder. Nobody tries harder each and every game. If he doesn't get MVP it'll be a damn same because he truly deserves it! Never did like Joe "Chicken Wing" Morgan - always flapping that arm when he batted.

Hey Chad,

I 've nicknamed Dustin "the destroyer". Dustin has thunderously put the "T" back in team with his performance. He has been the "constant value" in the Sox equtation to have October basebell played Fenway. Size does not matter here. On Dustin's and Joe Morgan's size. Dusitn and Joe are the same physical statuture, just as determined, and equally exciting to watch. Chad, whatever your personal opinion is of Joe, k eep it yourself. Joe had to have a brain to perserver after the Astros trade and stay in Cincinnati to win the World Series. Chad, show the Globe and the people of Boston you have some amount of class.

"Don't Mess With Texas"

Check him for steroids

Pedrioa's hot, and has been excellent rather than just OK before the ASB (doubles, hits, avg). Quentin is the big rival, but it's a shame Hamilton's incredible numbers are redundant just cos he plays for an average team. What criteria are we using, can you be the best hitter yet lose to a lesser guy baecause he has better guys around him? I dunno, just don't give it to goddam Manny.

I guess from the article and all of the comments and the past MVP voting, defense plays almost no part? Pedroia playing Gold-Glove caliber defense at a much tougher position gives him the edge over Quentin for me.

But what I really want to know is this: For anyone around in '67, this much smaller tear that Pedroia is on - is this what it was like for Yaz every day in '67?

There should be a Player of the Year award, as well, for guys like Hamilton who put up monster years for terrible teams.

a rod will probably win. people like gaudy numbers from expensive players.

Pedroia "the Woodland Wonder" is batting unconsciously well.

Not since Yaz in 1967 have I seen a Red Sox hitter be "in the zone" so intensely.

He could grab a fly with chop sticks about now with such excellent hand-eye coordination.

If he can sustain this level of play for September he gets my vote for the Player of the Decade.

Pedroia's fabulous but what's with the lack-of-brain comment on Joe Morgan. Really uncalled for. Joe Morgan is a class act, as is Dustin.
And btw, when you're gushing over Pedroia's hitting, you completely forgot about his defense, which should seal the deal for any MVP consideration. It's really too bad defense is such an afterthought, ignored by those who focus only on the boom and fireworks, because it's absolutely critical. Just as the Celtics.

TH - don't get me wrong, I would love to see Pedie end up with the hardware, I just don't think it's happening. And as far as his comp, I'd say that Carlos Quentin has been pretty damn consistent this season, and I'd probably put him at the top of the ballot. Not to mention his advantages in qualifying stats like OPS+, VORP, etc...but that's Greek to the voters.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if the writers/voters all jump on the bandwagon, because as you said, they don't tend to look beyond the most recent stats and production - the entire process is inherently flawed. And the fact that this performance is coming from an atypical baseball body is only going to help fuel the fire.

And by the way, if K-Rod wins the MVP, OR the Cy, they should just scrap the awards altogether.

i don't care if he gets MVP or not, I just enjoy watching him play.

I'M NOT GOING TO HOP ON THE BANDWAGON JUST YET, HE'S NO JOHN VALENTIN...LET'S SEE HIM MATCH SOME OF JOHNNY V'S NUMBERS AND THEN IT'LL BE A DISCUSSION

The value of a player to his team can best be measured by the second half. If the MVP award were for the Most Consistent Player All Season Long, that would make it the MCPASL award. The Most Valuable Player Award goes to that player who has proven (okay, over the course of the season) that he is the most valuable to his team. When the games have more value, the performance has more value. This is what we are seeing from Pedroia. Higher value in higher valued games. I am sure there is some ridiculous mathematical formula we could create to illustrate such a value quotient (see "OPS") but we can all see it with our own eyes.

Bill James (heard of him, right?) came out with the "Defensive Spectrum" a long time ago, essentially noting players' positions as an additional value to their team.
.
Corner OF's and 1B'ers (not to mention DH's) that can hit .270, smack 30 HRs, and maybe Walk 50+ times . . .zzzz, they come up from AAA every year.
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But 2B, C, SS's even CF's and 3B'ers that can field AND hit, aye carumba!
Hence the reason Joe Morgan is an announcer and holds a prestigious position at the Hall of Fame. It's not because of his ability to analyze a baseball game -- but he was the outstanding, least-replaceable player in baseball for 10 years!
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Yeah, and maybe we're seeing the beginning of that with Pedey here as well. May he have more multi-hit games and get more hits too! Because, besides being short, he also has a small strike zone!

Joe, the SI cover jinx is BS anyway. In 2004 I recall they had a Sox cover sometime in September I think it was. Some dolt sent them a letter they published in a following mailbag, thanking SI for cursing the Sox yet again. We all know how October turned out in 2004...

The Red Sox came up with a gem in Pedroia. This guy barring none is the toughest out in the lineup. He reminds me of the old-school type of player who got dirt on his uni just walking out of the dugout. He is a keeper.

Yeah, I took the Morgan comment down. That was me writing before I had my coffee.

Chad - I agree that right now it's Destroia vs. Quentin for MVP. A few more points for our guy: More total bases than Quentin and tied in extra-base hits. More times on base and a a boatload more hits - which even Bill James would agree are better than walks. Stolen bases a small plus. Much better fielder than Quentin at a far more important position. And Quentin has missed the last two games with a sore hammy. It's looking like the little guy will catch up and win it.

And if you believe that he's actually 5'9" and 180 I have this nice bridge to sell you.

He deserves it more than anyone with the possible exception of Youk, but it doesnt compare to Yaz in 67. Yaz had the best year ever and the Sox needed every hit and every defensive gem

out here on the left side, we like to call him "frodo". and i am all for frodo winning the mvp! as far as his first half stats, i think being clutch is a big part of what makes a mvp. the first half of the season just isnt all that clutch....by definition.

Petey is putting this struggling team on his narrow shoulders and willing it toward the playoffs. While he doesn't have the power numbers of Yaz in 67, he's making this team play better.
All this from a guy that lotsof "fans" last year wanted to send back to Pawtucket when he wasn't batting his weight. From what some pundits said was a KP player.
I guess heart, guts and hard work can't be measured by the "experts"
Just keep playing Petey, we're all proud of you.

You' re the man.

Someone should ferret out the "Post Manny" notable stats.

Pedroia has really lit up, the team has lit up.

Stats aside, no doubt lancing the Manny boil was a great diagnosis.

For deversm re: Yaz.
Yes, that was pretty much what it was like. I was 13, and it was amazing. The last weekend alone was off the charts. That was a pitching year - like Case said, you could look it up - and nobody could get Yaz out when it counted. Triple Crown!
That said, there's something lovable about Pedroia that transcends Yaz. It was always hard to get a sense of Yaz as a guy. On the field - whew. I did have the good fortune of hanging with the guys from 67 at a the first Sox fantasy camp, back in the early 80s, and they still spoke in awe of what he did.
But I'd rather play cards with DP, easily my favorite ballplayer today.
MVP? We'll see what happens in the next four weeks. If he keeps up, fair enough.

Has anyone even bothered to see how HAPPY Papi is when Pedey drives him in, or scores afterwards on one of his homers? It's not about his size and all that other nonsense---the guy puts up a Web Gem candidate almost nightly, is the engine that drives the Sox these days, and he's #1 in thte MAJORS in hits and runs, and #1 in the AL in Batting Average. There's still 3 weeks of baseball left, sure a lot can happen--like--who knows--Justin Morneau or Carlos Quentin even making ONE play as spectacular as thte ones Pedey makes every game. The guy should win the batting title, the Gold Glove at 2b, AND the MVP this year. The Sox are like 12 or 13 games over .500 SINCE Manny was traded, and a lot of those games were on the road, and that record is HUGE reflection of how Pedey has played since Side Show Manny Being Money was gone.....

I suspect it all depends on whether or not the Sox manage to catch up with the Rays.

If they pull it off, I think that will go a long way in convincing the voters that DP is the MVP.

But even if he doesn't, there's no doubt that he's earned the respect and admiration of his fellow players and (I hope) the entirety of Red Sox nation.

For anyone around in '67, this much smaller tear that Pedroia is on - is this what it was like for Yaz every day in '67?

Yes, that's a fair comparison. Except that Yaz also played the wall in ways no one else ever did, or has since. He was throwing out runners who'd hit singles and were making a small turn at first. He'd fake catches and sucker runners into scurrying back to their bases instead of advancing. He'd fake like he was throwing to one base and nab a runner at another. It was unreal. It felt like the whole game revolved around what Yaz did - like what Michael Jordan would later do for the Bulls.

Come on, why all the needling of Chad for that comment on Joe? I mean really, have you not heard his "analysis" of baseball games? That "no brain" thing may have been a bit harsh, but the sentiment behind it was pretty valid.

And while I'm not surprised at all the support on this blog for "Pedroia for MVP", I'm curious to see how a more non-biased fan base tends to think of the little guy.

Pedroia is gonna have to keep pace if he wants to beat out Quentin. Only way he wins it is if he maintains a .330 batting average and wins the batting title, steals 3 more bases for 20 and hits 3 more home runs for 20. If he stays hitting cleanup, 95 RBI wouldn't hurt, and 50 doubles would look nice. It's very possible, and I'd love to see him win it.

I'd be interested in knowing how he ranks among MLB hitters in strikeouts per PA. I'm pretty sure he's first (i.e. lowest), or at the very least up there.

AK - Well said, and your points noted... I've been hearing national guys talking the Pedie-talk as it sounded around here about 8 days ago. so, if he keeps it up, everyone likes a good talking point, so expect to hear his name bandied about more n more. That's of course,... IF (knock on wood).

Albert, what you've outlined for "Only way he wins it" is not only very possible, but even if he performs at 3/4 of the level in which he's performed over the last two months (extending the sample size well beyond the -Ten Day Tear- Pedie's been on), he will exceed all those numbers. Employing my onderball jinx/anti-jinx hulaballoo pronosticator, I'd say he finshes with the following numbers (not breaking down into the other minutiae numbers):

Avr - .328 (okay, I was going to say .345, but I can be real too)
Hits - 215
Runs - 129
Steals - 21
HRs - 24
Hits - 211
2B - 52
3B - 3
RBI - 104

By the way, even thoufgh he's very out of the mold of today's 'work the count hitters', he still has the fewest SO of any batter in the top ten of most ABs and has the best strike out to AB ratio of the group (having a K every 12 ABS, while even Ichiro is currently at 1 in every 11).

Say it with me: emmveeepeeeee

It's impossible to be subjective when you watch a guy play everyday, like we do with Pedroia. But I've been an avid baseball fan since the late 60's, and I can't remember ever seeing a player who has as much impact on the game, from every facet (hitting, fielding, running, leadership, attitude), as Pedroia. If you take him out of the lineup, the Red Sox are not leading the wild card right now. In my opinion, that's the most valuable player.

Speaking of fraudulent stats, how is being the first player in franchise history with "a five-run, a five-hit, and a five-RBI" game in the same season at all relevant? I agree he should be considered, but not because of goofy Fox-esque reasons like that.

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Quentin "probably won't be available until at least next week's Toronto series—and maybe much longer." Sore right forearm near the wrist - not a sore hammy. Bad news for Quentin and Chicago, but the stars may be aligning for the Sox and DP.

Fair point, Donovan. I think I'm still detoxing from the Fox experience.

does dale arnold read this blog and just pass it off as his own? he was on eei today talking about morgan's height like he was the one who stumbled across it. that station is great. and now john dennis looks to be like john tomase with his 'brady has a broken ankle' story. these guys are no better than any one of us. they just get paid better to blow smoke.yikes

If you guys love baseball cards, you need to check out Sports Cards Uncensored. Its the best card blog on the planet.

Pedroia is probably the only player in MLB that I am bigger than.

He's my hero! Here's to the little guy!