Dustin Pedroia wins A.L. MVP...One for the Little Guys

Pedroia was drafted in the second round of the amateur draft in 2004 by the Red Sox and many thought it was a mistake. Although he had a great career at Arizona State, hitting .384 over his three years,  most thought he was too small, too slow, and had too big of a swing to make it on the Major League level.

Pedroia came up late in 2006 for a cup of coffee at the end of the season, and when Red Sox GM let 2B Mark Loretta go after the season, the job was handed to Pedroia.

He started miserably at bat hitting only .172 on May 1, but never let it get to him. His confidence level is second to no one, and things started to click in early May. He finished hitting .317 with 39 doubles and an on base percentage of .380.

There will be critics who will say that Pedroia won because he is a great story more than he had the best numbers. This gets back to the age old argument about the MVP. What is the definition? Is it the best numbers, or is it the player who actually proved to be the most valuable to his team? Does the team have to contend? Make the Playoffs?

But let’s look at some of those numbers.

Morneau, faded in September like his Twins. He hit only .267 after the All-Star break, and .243 in Sept/Oct.  Mauer led the league in hitting with his .328 avg. edging out Pedroia by two points. He  hit .336 after the break with  an OPS of .894 yet hit only nine homers and 31 doubles.

Youkilis hit .312 with career highs in homers (29) and RBI (115), and had an OPS of .988 after the break. Youkilis also had a stint on the DL and played in 145 games which hurt his cause.

Angels closer Frank Rodriguez had two first place votes and that leads to the question whether a pitcher should win an MVP.

Many thought Youkilis and Pedroia having played on the same team would divide the votes and therefore make it tougher for either to win.

It is all open to debate, but bottom line is the diminutive one has walked away with the award. And 2009 will be another test for Pedroia who has fought the doubters his entire baseball life.

I for one, wouldn’t bet against him.

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