FORT MYERS, Fla. - He's still short.
Dustin Pedroia's still short, but now he's Mr. MVP. In just two full seasons, plus 31 games, he's won a Rookie of the Year, an MVP, and a Gold Glove. Short jokes aren't going to bother Pedroia. He might even give you a few himself.
" 'Cause I'm 5-5, 165 pounds," he joked, when asked why he worked so hard in the winter of 2008-09. "I definitely have to put in the extra time. Definitely try to get my legs stronger so I can play 162 games."
OK, he's not 5 feet 5 inches, but he's not 5-9, either, no matter what the book says. Five-6 is closer to the truth, and he weighs more than 165. He's strong enough to hit 'em out, as we all know. Forget the size. He plays big.
But that's a matter of choice, and the fact that he has chosen not to be the textbook little guy tells you a lot about this extraordinary ballplayer. He could have taken the Nellie Fox, choke-up-and-hit-'em-where-they-ain't route, as best exemplified in the contemporary game by, say, David Eckstein. There's nothing wrong with that, and Eckstein has a pair of rings to show for it.
That obviously held no appeal for Pedroia. When he looked into the mirror, he saw more of a Joe Morgan type. The Hall of Fame second baseman was a legitimate power threat at 5-7. But when their swings are matched up, the comparison falls apart. Morgan was coiled and measured. Pedroia is more grip-and-rip, a miniature baseball version of John Daly, minus the career-threatening baggage.
More to the point, Pedroia has the cut and swagger of a boxer. You can picture him at the weigh-in or at the center of the ring receiving the referee's instructions, his face pressed up against his foe's, even as his lips are informing the other guy that his head is soon to be separated from his shoulders.
Cockiness, thy name is Dustin Pedroia.
Of course, it was hard to be that way around the mates when you were breaking into the big leagues the way Pedroia did. There's no place for excess bravado, either verbally or in mannerisms, when through your first 53 games and 150 at-bats in the bigs you are batting .187 with 11 runs scored and 10 driven in. And here was manager Terry Francona, essentially dependent on the glowing reports of the scouts, and armed with a viable replacement (Alex Cora), asking himself, "Do I keep believing the scouts, or my eyes? I need to see something from this kid - soon."
The Kid started showing some signs of offensive life with a 2-for-2 game in Minnesota May 5, 2007. That was the first of four consecutive multi-hit games (9 for 14), and by the time the month ended he had hit .415 with a 1.072 OPS, the highlight an epic 12-pitch at-bat against Eric Gagne in Arlington, Texas, that culminated in a homer that proved the eventual winning run.
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