In a recent interview, Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox had negative things to say about his hometown of Woodland, California. In retaliation, a Woodland-area man allegedly made death threats to the Pedroia family. The man was later caught and arrested.
Dustin Pedroia, who was the 2007 American League Rookie of the Year and the 2008 American League Most Valuable Player, said in an interview that Woodland was a “dump” and that the city “sucks”. He also said that everyone is looking to get out of town. Pedroia insists that he was misquoted.
Prior to the interview, Pedroia was a hometown …read more

Call it an MVP bonus. A few weeks after Dustin Pedroia was named the 2008 American League Most Valuable Player, the Boston Red Sox agreed to a six-year, $40.5 million contract with the star second baseman.
Considering he has only three years of experience, this is one of the biggest contracts ever given out to a player who wasn’t arbitration eligible yet. But with his career trajectory heading north, the Red Sox thought it’d be a good time to lock Pedroia into a long-term deal.
The big years of the contract come in 2013 and 2014 when he’ll make $10 million each …read more

Some claim Dustin Pedroia is about 5-foot-5 in real life. However, all must now admit that Pedroia is the 2008 American League Most Valuable Player.
Pedroia, the second baseman for the Boston Red Sox, handily won the award by beating out Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins and his teammate Kevin Youkilis. Pedroia not only was very good in the field, at the plate he was one of the most dangerous players in the AL.
He finished the season with a .326 batting average and 17 homers, 83 RBIs, 118 runs scored and 213 hits. The 25-year-old improved his numbers across the …read more

Like the National League Gold Glove winners, the American League Gold Glove winners feature a lot of young faces. Apparently, the best fielders in 2008 were young players who had never won this award before. Here is a look at the 2008 AL Gold Glove award winners:
Pitcher – Mike Mussina, New York Yankees – 8th Gold Glove
Catcher – Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins – 1st Gold Glove
First Baseman – Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay Rays – 1st Gold Glove
Second Baseman – Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox – 1st Gold Glove
Shortstop – Michael Young, Texas Rangers – 1st Gold Glove
Third Baseman – Adrian …read more

The Most Valuable Player award in the American League will no doubt be a much talked about race. A number of players can make a case for themselves, however there are a few players in the American League that stand out above the rest. Here are our top AL MVP candidates.
5. Carlos Quentin, Chicago White Sox
Carlos Quentin had a rule shot at this award until he broke his hand in a freak incident. After fouling off a pitch, Quentin hit his bat with his wrist and ended up breaking his wrist — and his chance at the AL …read more