Boston Red Sox 2017 Player Previews: Dustin Pedroia

In 2016, Dustin Pedroia had his best and healthiest season since 2013. Can he keep his performance up while also leading the young Boston Red Sox clubhouse?

With every player older than him departing over the winter, Dustin Pedroia is now the elder statesman of the Boston Red Sox. Pedroia, 33, is also the longest tenured player on the team with eleven seasons under his belt. A roster of young players will now look to Pedroia for leadership, making him the unofficial captain of the squad.

Pedroia had one of the best seasons of his life in 2016. He ranked third in the league in batting average at .318 (also the second best mark of his career) and picked up his second 200 hit season, finishing at 201. He scored 105 runs, the third highest mark of his career.

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His 36 doubles were the third most on the team last season and he only struck out 73 times compared to 61 walks. Pedroia was also, a bit surprisingly, mostly healthy last season. He appeared in 154 games, a number he had only eclipsed once since 2011. Pedroia was his usual slick self defensively, collecting 12 Defensive Runs Saved with a .990 fielding percentage.

Pedroia was remarkably consistent last season. His lowest monthly average coming in June at .294 and his highest in August at .406. He hit eight home runs and drove in 37 runs in the first half of the season and hit seven homers and drove in 37 runs in the second half of the season. Pedroia’s biggest hot streaks came outside of his typical line of work: in the leadoff spot, where he will also spend most of his 2017 season.

With Mookie Betts breaking out as a speed/power hybrid, it makes sense for him to slide down closer to the middle of the batting order. This puts Pedroia in line to hit at the top of the Red Sox lineup. Andrew Benintendi may take over that job in the future, but Pedroia will be handed the duty for at least the beginning of 2017.

He spent most of his time in the second spot last season, but Pedroia dominated in 199 leadoff at-bats. Pedroia hit .362, picking up 72 hits and driving in 25 runs in 46 games at the top of the order. He also had a remarkable 1.17 strikeout to walk ratio. With Xander Bogaerts, Betts, and Hanley Ramirez combining for 82 home runs last season, Pedroia is the ideal leadoff candidate due to his ability to get in base.

As long as he stays healthy, Pedroia shows no signs of slowing down. He will still be a productive member of this team and could score over 100 runs again as the leadoff man. He could hit over .300 again and his stellar plate discipline to walk almost as often as he strikes out. Pedroia still has decent power, but his focus could be more on knocking the ball off the Green Monster and getting into scoring position rather than trying to take the ball out himself. He is a perfect table setter for the big bats behind him.

Pedroia is a key piece of the offense, but his biggest contributions this season could be in the clubhouse. A former Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player is a perfect example for players like Betts and Benintendi, who are good bets to contend for MVP and Rookie of the Year, respectively. The 5’9″ fiery dirt dog is the perfect embodiment of Boston sports: have fun, but only if you are winning.

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John Farrell is lucky to have a presence like Pedroia by his side going into a key season for a young Boston Red Sox team.

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