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Red Sox great Dustin Pedroia has an uphill battle for Hall of Fame

Breaking down Dustin Pedroia's Hall of Fame case with Jay Jaffe
Breaking down Dustin Pedroia's Hall of Fame case with Jay Jaffe 14:27

BOSTON -- The Baseball Hall of Fame will enshrine three new members in July, but former Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia will not be one of them. Pedroia did not get his call to Cooperstown on Tuesday night.

Pedroia did some incredible raking at the plate over his 14-year career with the Red Sox, and few players displayed the passion for the game like he did. But the diminutive second baseman has an uphill battle to get that call in the future. 

Pedroia received just 11.9 percent of the votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) in his first year of eligibility, well short of the 75 percent needed for enshrinement. He will remain on the ballot in 2026 after he was checked off on more than five percent of this year's ballots. 

But it looks like it will take a while for Pedroia to get in -- if he gets in at all.

Dustin Pedroia's case for the Hall of Fame

Despite standing at just 5-foot-9, Pedroia packed quite the punch for the Red Sox over his 14 MLB seasons. Aside from what he did at the plate and in the field, he was also one of the most committed players on the Boston roster and a true leader in the clubhouse.

A second-round pick by the Red Sox in 2004, Pedroia made his MLB debut in August of the 2006 season. He struggled to close out that season and then got off to a slow start in 2007, but caught fire for Boston in May, raising his average from .178 to .308 by the end of the month.

He put together a spectacular 2007 season for the Red Sox, slashing .317/.380/.442 to go with 39 doubles to earn Rookie of the Year honors. That fall, he helped the Red Sox win the World Series when he hit .283 with six doubles, two homers, and 12 runs scored in the postseason.

Pedroia was even better in 2008 when he led baseball with 213 hits and 54 doubles. He hit a career-best .326 that season to capture the American League MVP. He also won his only Silver Slugger award and his first of four Gold Glove awards that year.

From 2007 to 2017, Pedroia was a key piece to Boston's success. Over those 11 seasons, he slashed .302/.368/.443 and had a 53.3 WAR. He was an All-Star four times over that stretch, and once again helped the Red Sox win a World Series in 2013.

Pedroia was a fixture for the Red Sox for the next four seasons and recorded his second 200-hit season in 2016. But a high slide from Baltimore's Manny Machado in late April of the 2017 season led to a litany of knee issues for Pedroia, and eventually an early end of the infielder's career. 

Pedroia played in just nine games over the 2018 and 2019 seasons. He was just 2-for-31 at the plate in those games, which dropped his career average to .299.

There's no denying his impact on the Red Sox, and Pedroia is one of only two players to ever win a Rookie of the Year, MVP, four Gold Gloves, and a pair of World Series rings. Johnny Bench is the only other player to collect all of those accolades, according to The Athletic's Jayson Stark

Few players were more passionate and committed to the game as Pedroia, who would be in full uniform and taking grounders several hours before every game. It looked like he was on a surefire Hall of Fame path early in his playing days, but injuries late in his career sent him off that course.

The case against Dustin Pedroia

Though he had 10 great season for the Red Sox at a time when the franchise was winning World Series titles, longevity appears to be the biggest issue with Pedroia's Hall of Fame resume. While he racked up 1,805 career hits in his career, Pedroia played in just 1,512 games over his 14 seasons.

"Dustin Pedroia has a very peak-centric case. His career numbers don't measure up to guys like Joe Morgan or someone like that, the guys who have the peak and longevity going for them," Jay Jaffe of Fangraphs recently told WBZ of Pedroia's canidacy. "But he does have an appeal to voters who are mostly peak-minded."

Pedroia -- who was enshrined in the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2024 --  will need a lot more peak-minded voters in future years if he wants to land in Cooperstown in 2026. 

Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2025

Three players were elected to Cooperstown on Tuesday: Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner. 

Suzuki was a nearly unanimous pick in his first year of eligibility, but was left off a single ballot. Sabathia is also a first-ballot selection after getting 86.8 percent of the votes. 

Wagner, who pitched in 15 games for the Red Sox in 2009, was elected in his final year of eligibility after receiving 82.5 percent of the votes. He logged 422 saves over his 16-year career with the Astros, Phillies, Mets, Red Sox, and Braves. 

Other Red Sox players on the 2025 Hall of Fame ballot

Three other former Red Sox players appeared on the ballot this year, but only one will be rejoining Pedroia in 2026.

Manny Ramirez received just 34.3 percent of the votes in his ninth year of eligibility. He has one more year to be enshrined, but his failed PED tests late in his career will keep him out. 

Infielder Ian Kinsler and outfielder/infielder Hanley Ramirez were also on the ballot in 2025, but neither hit the five percent threshold needed to remain. Kinsler was checked off on just 10 ballots (2.5 percent) while Ramirez received no votes.

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