February 18, 2008
A Scouts Miss
Ken Rosenthal examines why Dustin Pedrioa beat the projections of the Red Sox scouts.
Epstein marvels at the way Pedroia squares up pitches in batting practice, getting the barrel to the ball, hitting one line drive after another. It's difficult to imagine Pedroia improving much offensively over last season, but keep in mind that he was hitting only .172 on May 1 and played the final two months -- and the postseason -- with a cracked hamate bone in his left hand.
Yet, his hitting is only part of the package. Pedroia isn't fast, but Francona describes him as a "heads-up baserunner." He lacks range, Epstein says, "but his range plays above his quickness. He makes all the plays at the extremities of his range. A lot of guys will get to balls and can't make the play. He makes every play."
Dustin rated a little below average in range using PMR in 2007.
Posted by David Pinto at
01:13 PM
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