Longtime Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia announced his retirement from baseball on Monday. Pedroia, 37, spent his entire 14-year MLB career with the Red Sox. Pedroia won 2008 AL MVP honors and was a four-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner during his career. He also took home the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year Award. Pedroia won three World Series rings with the Red Sox (2007, 2013 and 2018), though he was injured for most of the team's title run in 2018.
For his career, the 5-foot-9 Pedroia hit .299/.365/.439 with 140 home runs and 51.7 Wins Above Replacement. Chronic knee injuries derailed the end of Pedroia's career, and he was limited to nine big-league games since the start of the 2018 season. Prior to the injuries, Pedroia had made 11 consecutive Opening Day starts for Boston, from 2007-17, trailing only Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski (12 in left field) for the longest streak ever by a Red Sox player at any position.
In a press conference Monday afternoon, Pedroia reflected on his time in a Red Sox uniform and what the organization has meant to him over the last decade-plus.
"I've had a lot of emotions lately, but coming down to it, I look back and think how lucky I was for all of it," Pedroia said during a Zoom call Monday. "Getting drafted by the Red Sox. Coming from California, I didn't know a lot about the organization or Boston, or anything.
"..I've played for one ownership group, the general managers and the front office, the people that have been there the entire time, those aren't just people that I worked for, those people are family. The four managers I've played for, all my infield coaches, my minor-league coaches, my teammates. The Boston Red Sox, to me -- I mean, I can't even explain how much it means to me -- it means everything. I started my family there, my kids were born in Boston. Every day, I woke up looking to find a way to help our team win a baseball game and I got to do it in front of the best fans, in the best city."
"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 Monday.
"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's legacy will certainly become synonymous with his hustle and grit. During his prime, he was known for his elite play making abilities in the infield. Drafted in 2004 by the Red Sox, he'll walk away from the game as one of the franchise's best players. He joins Yastrzemski and Mookie Betts as the only players in team history with 100 or more career home runs and 100 or more career stolen bases for the Sox. His 1,506 games played rank 11th all-time in Red Sox history and are the second-most among Boston second baseman, trailing only Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr (1,865). Our Matt Snyder took a look at Pedroia's chances to make the Baseball Hall of Fame here.
Pedroia is technically under contract through the 2021 season after he signed an eight-year, $110 million extension with the Sox in 2013. According to Sean McAdam of the Boston Sports Journal, Pedroia will still be paid his $12 million salary for the upcoming season.