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Boston Sports Then and Now



Sox In Focus: Dustin Pedroia 0

Posted on February 08, 2010 by Kevin Freiheit

Dustin Pedroia

Dustin Pedroia has not been in the major leagues long, but he has certainly made a name for himself throughout the first four years of his career. This youngster seemed to come out of  nowhere and fit right in with the powerful Red Sox lineup.

His baseball career began in Woodland, California, where he played high school ball. During his senior year, Pedroia batted .445 and was the league’s MVP.

After high school, Pedroia went to Arizona State University, where he battled Ian Kinsler for the shortstop position. Kinsler eventually transferred to the University of Missouri, allowing Pedroia the opportunity to have shortstop all to himself.

In the three years he spend at Arizona State University, Pedroia never missed a game. In fact, he hit an average of .384. In order to help ASU recruit better pitchers, Pedroia relinquished the last two years of his athletic scholarship.

In 2004, Pedroia was drafted by the Red Sox with the 65th pick overall. While he was in the minors, Pedroia started to play second base as well. A couple of years later, he replaced second basemen Mark Loretta.

To start the 2007 season, Pedoria hit a dismal .172 through the first month of play. By the end of the season his average was .317 as he earned the AL Rookie of the Year Award. Pedroia then helped the Red Sox win their second World Series in four years. Read the rest of this entry →

Shortstop Is A Short Stop For Red Sox 0

Posted on December 02, 2009 by Jared Carrabis

A quick look at the SS situation in 2010…

Who will play at shortstop in 2010?

Who will play at shortstop in 2010?

As we have all witnessed since Theo Epstein took the position of Red Sox GM from Mike Port following the 2002 season, it is safe to say that the shortstop position isn’t the wonder boy’s strong point.

By no means is that a knock against Epstein; he isn’t the one taking grounders in between third and second, and he doesn’t have a bat in his hands four times a night. However, he is in charge of making a judgment and then withdrawing x amount of dollars from John Henry’s bank account.

If and when the Red Sox sign a free agent to become what hopes to be the Opening Day shortstop, that man will have the honor of being called the eighteenth shortstop to wear a Red Sox uniform since the Epstein era began in Boston. Since Nomar Garciaparra departed from Boston in the summer of 2004, no shortstop has started in consecutive Opening Day games for the Red Sox.

Alex Gonzalez was an excellent fit for Boston defensively, making just one error in 44 games for the Sox in 2009. Even his offense was highly respectable as an added bonus when the right-hander hit .284 with 5 HR and 15 RBI.

However, although not the best option, Gonzalez is no longer an option at all to be the Red Sox Opening Day starter in 2010. The Blue Jays, who offered arbitration to their previous shortstop Marco Scutaro on Tuesday, signed Gonzalez to a two-year deal, plucking him from Boston’s long list of potential solutions at the shortstop position.

Read the rest of this entry →

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  • Boston's Vintage Athlete of the Month

    • Dwight Evans
      February 26, 2010 | 7:39 pm

      Dwight "Dewey" Evans

      We honor Dwight Evans as the Boston Sports Then and Now Athlete of the Month. With the opening of the baseball season around the corner, the choice of “Dewey” Evans is fitting. He was a player who gave his all, all the time to the Boston Red Sox where he played from 1972 to 1990. He is one of the best players not in the Baseball Hall Of Fame.

      Dwight Michael Evans made an immediate impact in his professional baseball career by winning the International League’s MVP in 1972. With AAA Louisville, Evans had 17 hrs, 95 RBI and hit .300.

      Dewey was called up to the tail end of the ’72 season. On September 16th, he pinch ran and was 0-1 at the plate. He played 18 games and decent numbers during his call up. In 57 plate appearances, Evans had 1 hr, 6 RBI and batted .263.

      Dwight Evans called right field in Fenway Park his home. He was a defensive standout and offensively could hold his own.

      Read more »

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