Pedroia HAS to start. PERIOD

[corngordon]

Dustin is a key to the future of the club. Bring in a good SS. Being strong up the middle is so important. If he were on any number of clubs (Twins, A's, Blue Jays), there would be no talk of anyone else at that position.

 

Ron Gordon

Corn, Gordon and Flanagan on the Red Sox (podcast)

[BSN07]

He will start. The other options available have just as many ? as Pedroia. So they will spend money eleswhere other then on a 2B, because they have a cheap and talented one in house.

[Texas_Red_Sox_Fan]

get Michael Young and hopefully Pedroia can produce from the 9 spot in the lineup

[ksushi]

I highly doubt the sox get michael young. I hope Pedroia does win the 2B job though

[Cocos Disciples]

I disagree he is the key to the future but I would like to see him at 2B and batting 9th very much.

[Ray10]

Pedroia is more than likely going to be the Sox full time second baseman come next season. I like him in the lineup I think he is a great player. He just needs a bit more time to mature and bring up his game but I think starting will help him out alot and we will see him become a great second baseman for the Sox. By the way does anyone know where George Kottaras and Josh Papelbon will be starting the year come the 2007 season.

[jsinger121]

Kottaras will be in Pawtucket, Josh Papelbon will be in Greenville.

[AZBlue]

Dustin is a key to the future of the club. Bring in a good SS. Being strong up the middle is so important. If he were on any number of clubs (Twins, A's, Blue Jays), there would be no talk of anyone else at that position.

 

Have you seen Pedroia play? He is an average to below average second baseman. A cheap, average player can be important for financial reasons, but "key to the future of the club"?!

[MC Hammer]

Have you seen Pedroia play? He is an average to below average second baseman. A cheap' date=' average player can be important for financial reasons, but "key to the future of the club"?![/quote']

He's above average defensively IMO, but his offense leaves a lot to be desired. I don't see how you can say you "have to start" a guy who couldn't hit a beachball last year.

 

If he's the best they can do he'll start, but I know I'd be trying to upgrade that position. If the Sox weren't willing to start Hanley last year then why in gods name would they start Dustin this year?

[Mr Crunchy]

maybe i missed much of last year but didnt our 2b make the allstar team??

 

why were we in such a hurry to move an allstar in favor of a guy who may turn out to be another......mark loretta

if he makes it

if he hits .195 into june then there will be some issues

[CrespoBlows]

maybe i missed much of last year but didnt our 2b make the allstar team??

 

why were we in such a hurry to move an allstar in favor of a guy who may turn out to be another......mark loretta

if he makes it

if he hits .195 into june then there will be some issues

 

why does anyone care about these popularity contests anyways?

 

Who cares if Mark Loretta made the all-star team? He only made it because he happened to play for the Red Sox.

 

Maybe Loretta might represent a small upgrade over Pedoria, but I'd rather spend Loretta's $4-5 million on a reliever.

[a700hitter]

Who cares if Mark Loretta made the all-star team? He only made it because he happened to play for the Red Sox.

 

Maybe Loretta might represent a small upgrade over Pedoria, but I'd rather spend Loretta's $4-5 million on a reliever.

.284 is not a slight upgrade over .191.

[Cocos Disciples]

Well yeah considering Pedroia is bound to hit sub .200 the rest of his days, overpay for Loretta and let the kid rot.

[a700hitter]

Well yeah considering Pedroia is bound to hit sub .200 the rest of his days' date=' overpay for Loretta and let the kid rot.[/quote']Maybe he is only going to be a .250 hitter. In which case, he should rot on the bench.

[Mr Crunchy]

offense sucked last year in the dog days

pedroia didnt help at all

im willing to give him the chance and i didnt know lorettas getting that kind of coin

for 4M we can get 1/2 a matt clement!!

 

kidding

but that is a big price for loretta

 

it seems to me that agon and loretta had a nice thing going defensivly

i hate to see that go....on the future

[HeadOfSoxNation]

SOMEONE JUST PLEAAAAAASE FREAKING TELL ME WHAT THIS GUY'S DONE TO PROVE THAT HE CAN PERFORM IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES?!? NOTHING! NOT A SINGLE FREAKING THING!! I KNOW HE'S TORN UP THE MINORS, BUT HE WAS GIVEN A CHANCE LAST YEAR TO PLAY A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME IN THE BIGS AND HE WAS BELOW AVERAGE AT BEST!!! COMMON PEOPLE...HE HASSSSS TO START?!?!?!?

 

Phew...had to vent there for a second...

 

Watching Pedroia play last year was, to me, like getting all pumped up to go to your first strip club, going in, and seeing girls dancing around in parkas and leg warmers. I was so freaking excited and then he did NOTHING. He couldn't have even hit Matt FREAKING Clement if he was given the chance, and I could hit that bum. He's gotta prove himself in the spring before anyone gives this guy ANY kind of a starting job...or a job in the bigs at all for that matter.

[a700hitter]

I think it would be a mistake to give him the job on the first day of spring training.

[jsinger121]

Here is a quote from Mark Loretta that was in the Boston Globe

 

"They haven't made an offer," he said. "Everything we've heard is that they're going with [Dustin Pedroia], that they don't want to retard his development."

[Fried Neckbones]

I think it would be a mistake to give him the job on the first day of spring training.

 

Honestly, though, who is going to compete with him for the job? Cora? It would not be smart to bring in a free agent or trade for a 2b just to compete with Pedrioa - not to mention that it would completely shatter his confidence. There really isn't anybody else in their system who would deserve an invite to spring training. He's 23, plays good d, and will adjust to MLB pitching. He may not end up being a super-star, but he will be a solid middle infielder.

 

Also, he'll be cheap, freeing up more $$$ for Lugo, Drew, Matsuzaka, and whoever else in on the FO radar.

[MC Hammer]

Honestly, though, who is going to compete with him for the job? Cora? It would not be smart to bring in a free agent or trade for a 2b just to compete with Pedrioa - not to mention that it would completely shatter his confidence. There really isn't anybody else in their system who would deserve an invite to spring training. He's 23, plays good d, and will adjust to MLB pitching. He may not end up being a super-star, but he will be a solid middle infielder.

 

Also, he'll be cheap, freeing up more $$$ for Lugo, Drew, Matsuzaka, and whoever else in on the FO radar.

 

I love how money never matters until you guys want a prospect to play. Hey we can pay 51 million for a cup of coffee with some kid ... but lets not go crazy and spend 4 million a year on a 2B. Lets try and be consistant here.

[jsinger121]

The last time I checked Bill James still works for the Red Sox and is a pretty big voice in the Sox FO. He gave a very solid 2007 projection for Pedroia that I'm sure the FO will likely go with in their assessment. His projection for him were numbers that had ROY potential. Loretta is good as gone.

[Fried Neckbones]

I love how money never matters until you guys want a prospect to play. Hey we can pay 51 million for a cup of coffee with some kid ... but lets not go crazy and spend 4 million a year on a 2B. Lets try and be consistant here.

 

I'm not saying that the Sox front office does not spend money, nor that they should NOT spend money on players. I'm saying that they should not spend ridiculous amounts of money on every player at every position. If saving $3.5 million on a 2b means getting Drew, I'm all for that.

[BSN07]

Give the kid a chance. He hit .191 in what like 30 at bats? Lets get a little larger number of AB before we say he will never hit a ball. Manny always starts out with a s***** BA in the beginning of every season, then he catches fire and bats .300 every year. Im not saying Pedroia is Manny by any stretch of the imagination but Pedroia is expected to be a .270ish hitter. Which I think would be decent for a nine hole hitter. This is why its called a BA avg. Maybe we just got the low end of it. Maybe his bat will be better next time around.

[MC Hammer]

I'm not saying that the Sox front office does not spend money' date=' nor that they should NOT spend money on players. I'm saying that they should not spend ridiculous amounts of money on every player at every position. If saving $3.5 million on a 2b means getting Drew, I'm all for that.[/quote']

Eventhough you could use the same logic ... and just start WMP instead of signing Drew ... and then use that money elsewhere?

 

On a side note ... if both start this year WMP's number will blow JD Drew's away.

[edge4414]

SOMEONE JUST PLEAAAAAASE FREAKING TELL ME WHAT THIS GUY'S DONE TO PROVE THAT HE CAN PERFORM IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES?!? NOTHING! NOT A SINGLE FREAKING THING!! I KNOW HE'S TORN UP THE MINORS' date=' BUT HE WAS GIVEN A CHANCE LAST YEAR TO PLAY A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME IN THE BIGS AND HE WAS BELOW AVERAGE AT BEST!!! COMMON PEOPLE...HE HASSSSS TO START?!?!?!?[/color']

 

Phew...had to vent there for a second...

 

Watching Pedroia play last year was, to me, like getting all pumped up to go to your first strip club, going in, and seeing girls dancing around in parkas and leg warmers. I was so freaking excited and then he did NOTHING. He couldn't have even hit Matt FREAKING Clement if he was given the chance, and I could hit that bum. He's gotta prove himself in the spring before anyone gives this guy ANY kind of a starting job...or a job in the bigs at all for that matter.

 

Going with this logic Markakis would have been sent to the minors at mid-season or before and H Kendrick wouldn't be the Angels 2b. Both failed miserably in their early opportunity but look pretty good now.

[BSN07]

Ya lets just trade him so we can bitch when he breaks out like hanley and sanchez.

[redsoxrules]

Eventhough you could use the same logic ... and just start WMP instead of signing Drew ... and then use that money elsewhere?

 

On a side note ... if both start this year WMP's number will blow JD Drew's away.

 

if anything WMP is gonna blow past strike 3, 200 times

[Mr Crunchy]

pat listach was a rookie of the year 2nd basemen 15 years ago

anyone remember him??

he of the 5 career homeruns and 143 career rbi??

didnt think so

 

anyone remember the last time we had an allstar 2nd basemen outside loretta??

i go back to mike andrews,doug griffin,denny doyle,marty barrett,jody reed,luis alicea etc...

i dont remember any of them making the allstar team although barrett had an awesome 86 world series

 

loretta turns the dp hits .300 and is limited in range...someone said 4-5M per?

we'd been paying 2nd basemen the league minimum for 20 years till loretta came and then blam

we got an allstar

 

pedroia??

maybe hes ROY material just like pat listash was

hopefully he ends up more like loretta though

[Bosoxwest]

This is ridiculous.

 

At age 24 in AAA Mark Loretta was a tweener MIF who put up an OPS of .737 after putting up .767 in AA at age 23.

At age 23 in AAA Dustin Pedroia was a tweener MIF who put up an OPS of .810, after putting up an OPS of .917 in Portland at age 22.

 

At age 35 Loretta had an OPS of .706, and 23-year old Pedroia only put up a .561 OPS. They both sucked. However, their peripherals were pretty well matched:

 

BB rate: Loretta 7 % / Pedroia 7% (although historically Pedroia's IsoD is far superior)

K rate: Loretta 9% / Pedroia 7% (Pedroia = lowest on team)

LD%: Loretta 27.1% / Pedroia 22.5% (both good, Loretta exceptional)

IsoP: Loretta .076 / Pedroia .112 (Pedroia showed more power)

BABIP: Loretta .310 / Pedroia .181 (Pedroia under Cub-esque curse at the plate)

 

DEF:

RF: Loretta 4.88 / Pedroia 6.19

ZR: Loretta .805 / Pedroia .857

 

These guys are basically the same mental and physical make-up: the difference is Pedroia is more athletic, and freaking 12 years younger, and $2.6M cheaper. He will start at 2B next year, as he should.

[AZBlue]

Ya lets just trade him so we can bitch when he breaks out like hanley and sanchez.

 

Every scout who has watched both Hanley Ramirez and Dustin Pedroia play would laugh at that comparison.