Hall Of Fame Voter Gives Hope To Red Sox Legend Dustin Pedroia's Cooperstown Case

Get Pedey to Cooperstown!

Apr 16, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Former Red Sox player Dustin Pedroia walks onto the field during a ceremony before a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

There are few players in Boston Red Sox history more beloved than Dustin Pedroia.

Standing all of five feet, eight inches tall, Pedroia won Red Sox fans over with his hard-nosed style of play and incredible bat-to-ball skills. The self-proclaimed "Laser Show" won American League Rookie of the Year in 2007, Most Valuable Player in 2008, three World Series rings, and four Gold Gloves.

In 2025, Pedroia will appear on Hall of Fame ballots for the first time. It's a bittersweet moment for Red Sox fans, who fear that the same injuries that derailed the end of the second baseman's career could also keep him from one day being enshrined in Cooperstown.

At 51.9 career wins above replacement, Pedroia falls short of what most voters consider to be slam-dunk Hall of Fame territory. His counting stats also ended up falling shy of most Cooperstown benchmarks--1,805 hits and 140 home runs would both be rather low marks for a Hall of Famer.

However, Hall of Fame voter Jayson Stark of The Athletic believes Pedroia still has a shot at the Hall someday. First, though, he has to get at least five percent of the vote to survive his first year on the ballot.

"I see our philosophy as voters evolving over the next few years — away from the counting numbers of yesteryear and toward players with dominant peaks, whose impact on winning was undeniable. And doesn’t that describe Dustin Pedroia?" Stark said.

"(Chase) Utley got 28 percent of the vote last year, so I think that offers hope for the Pedroia fans. And as I wrote in my Five Things to Watch on the Hall of Fame ballot column, I have a feeling Utley will get elected someday."

Utley will likely be a benchmark player for Pedroia to be compared to, because not only did the two share a position, but they were contemporaries with similar statistics. Utley has the edge in counting stats like home runs and WAR due to his longevity, but never matched Pedroia's MVP or Gold Gloves.

It may be a long shot that Pedroia ever enters the Hall, but it's encouraging to hear one specific voter in Stark speak on his behalf. And most importantly, the memories that the second baseman shared with Red Sox fans will never fade away.

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