A Boston Red Sox legend is calling it a career.
Dustin Pedroia announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on Monday. The veteran second baseman played 14 major league seasons, all with the Red Sox. Injuries limited him to just nine games played over the last three seasons. He didn't play at all in 2020.
Pedroia is one of the best Red Sox players of his generation. He made his MLB debut in 2006 and quickly earned a permanent spot in the lineup in 2007. He helped lead the Red Sox to a World Series title in 2007 and won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in the process.Â
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Pedroia took his game to a higher level the following year and became the first Red Sox player to win AL MVP since Mo Vaughn in 1995. He's one of two second baseman to earn AL MVP honors since 1959.
He also won four Gold Glove awards, earned four AL All-Star selections and won three World Series rings -- although he played in just three regular season games during the 2018 championship run and wasn't on the World Series roster due to injury.
Pedroia finishes with a .299 career batting average, in addition to 140 home runs, 725 RBI, 922 runs, 1,805 hits and a .365 on-base percentage.Â
When you look at the totality of Pedroia's career, it merits serious Hall of Fame consideration, especially when compared to other second basemen who have already been enshrined.
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Regardless of whether Pedroia makes the Hall of Fame someday, he'll always hold a special place in Red Sox fans' hearts. His grit, competitiveness, leadership and ability to deliver in clutch moments made him a fan favorite in Boston, and that affection for him in this region isn't likely to subside anytime soon.