PEDROIA AL MVP, 1 YEAR AFTER ROOKIE TRIUMPH
Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia had an historic victory in winning the 2008 American League Most Valuable Player Award in balloting by the BBWAA. Pedroia is the first AL second baseman to win the award in 49 years and only the third player to be named MVP the year after being elected Rookie of the Year.
Pedroia, who led the league in runs (118), hits (213) doubles (54) and multi-hit games (61), received 16 first-place votes from the 28 ballots cast by two writers in each league city. Pedroia was listed second on six ballots, third on four and fourth on one for a total of 317 points, based on a tabulation system rewarding 14 points for first place, nine for second, eight for third on down to one for 10th.
Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau (.300, 23 HR, 129 RBI), the 2006 winner, received seven first-place votes and was the runner-up with 257 points. Red Sox infielder Kevin Youkilis (.312, 29 HR, 115 RBI) got two first-place votes and finished third with 201 points. Morneau and Youkilis were the only players named on all ballots.
Twins catcher Joe Mauer (.328, 9 HR, 85 RBI) also was first on two ballots and ranked fourth with 188 points. The other first-place vote went to Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez (2-3, 2.24 ERA, 62 SV), who totaled 143 points and finished sixth, behind Chicago White Sox left fielder Carlos Quentin (.288, 36 HR, 100 RBI), who had 160 points.
Rounding out the top 10 were Texas Rangers center fielder Josh Hamilton (.304, 32 HR, 130 RBI), New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez (.302, 35 HR, 103 RBI, 104 R), the 2007 winner, Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Carlos Pena (.247, 31 HR, 102 RBI) and Cleveland Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore (.268, 33 HR, 90 RBI, 101 R, 38 SB). In all, 23 players gained mention.
Pedroia, 25, batted .326, second only to Mauer, with 17 home runs, 83 RBI and 20 stolen bases for the Red Sox, who were the AL wild-card team. He struck out only 52 times in 710 plate appearances.
As the previous year's Rookie of the Year, Pedroia this year matched the feat in the AL of Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., who was the Rookie of the Year in 1982 and MVP in 1983, and in the National League of Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, who was the Rookie of the Year in 2005 and MVP in 2006. Two other AL players won both awards in the same season, Red Sox center fielder Fred Lynn in 1975 and Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki in 2001.
Pedroia became the 20th former Rookie of the Year to be named MVP, the seventh in the AL. Other than Ripken, Lynn and Suzuki, former AL Rookie of the Year winners who later were MVPs were Rod Carew, Thurman Munson and Jose Canseco. NL players who won both awards were Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Pete Rose, Dick Allen, Johnny Bench, Andre Dawson, Jeff Bagwell, Albert Pujols and Howard. Allen was Rookie of the Year in one league (NL) and MVP in another (AL). Frank Robinson was an MVP in both leagues.
A second baseman had not won the MVP Award in the AL since 1959 when Nellie Fox of the Chicago White Sox was honored. Pedroia is only the fourth AL second baseman and 10th overall to win. The other AL winners were the New York Yankees' Joe Gordon in 1942 and the Detroit Tigers' Charlie Gehringer in 1937. The award has been won by a second baseman in the NL six times, including two-time winner Joe Morgan of the Cincinnati Reds in 1975 and 1976. The others were the St. Louis Cardinals' Frankie Frisch in 1931, the Brooklyn Dodgers' Jackie Robinson in 1949, the Chicago Cubs' Ryne Sandberg in 1984 and the San Francisco Giants' Jeff Kent in 2000. No position has had fewer MVP winners.
Pedroia is the 10th Red Sox player honored and the first since first baseman Mo Vaughn in 1995. The others were left fielders Ted Williams (who won twice, in 1946 and 1949), Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 and Jim Rice in 1978, right fielder Jackie Jensen in 1958, pitcher Roger Clemens in 1986, first baseman Jimmie Foxx in 1938 (he also won twice with the Philadelphia Athletics, in 1932 and 1933) and Lynn in 1975. Since Vaughn's victory 13 years ago, three Red Sox players finished second in the voting: shortstop Nomar Garciaparra in 1998, pitcher Pedro Martinez in 1999 and designated hitter David Ortiz in 2005.
The vote:
| Player | Club | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | Points |
| Dustin Pedroia | Boston Red Sox | 16 | 6 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 317 |
| Justin Morneau | Minnesota Twins | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 257 |
| Kevin Youkilis | Boston Red Sox | 2 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | — | — | 201 |
| Joe Mauer | Minnesota Twins | 2 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | 188 |
| Carlos Quentin | Chicago White Sox | — | 1 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | — | 1 | 1 | 160 |
| Francisco Rodriguez | Los Angeles Angels | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 6 | — | 3 | 2 | — | 2 | 143 |
| Josh Hamilton | Texas Rangers | — | — | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 112 |
| Alex Rodriguez | New York Yankees | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 45 |
| Carlos Pena | Tampa Bay Rays | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | — | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 44 |
| Grady Sizemore | Cleveland Indians | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 42 |
| Evan Longoria | Tampa Bay Rays | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 38 |
| Cliff Lee | Cleveland Indians | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | 24 |
| Miguel Cabrera | Detroit Tigers | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
| Vladimir Guerrero | Los Angeles Angels | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 16 |
| Jermaine Dye | Chicago White Sox | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | 14 |
| Aubrey Huff | Baltimore Orioles | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | 3 | 12 |
| Milton Bradley | Texas Rangers | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 9 |
| Jason Bartlett | Tampa Bay Rays | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 6 |
| Mike Mussina | New York Yankees | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 3 |
| Raul Ibanez | Seattle Mariners | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Ian Kinsler | Texas Rangers | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Ichiro Suzuki | Seattle Mariners | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Mark Teixeira | Los Angeles Angels | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
Previous winners (*—Unanimous):
2007 ALEX RODRIGUEZ, New York Yankees;
2006 JUSTIN MORNEAU, Minnesota Twins;
2005 ALEX RODRIGUEZ, New York Yankees;
2004 VLADIMIR GUERRERO, Anaheim Angels;
2003 ALEX RODRIGUEZ, Texas Rangers;
2002 MIGUEL TEJADA, Oakland Athletics;
2001 ICHIRO SUZUKI, Seattle Mariners;
2000 JASON GIAMBI, Oakland Athletics;
1999 IVAN RODRIGUEZ, Texas Rangers;
1998 JUAN GONZALEZ, Texas Rangers;
1997 *KEN GRIFFEY Jr., Seattle Mariners;
1996 JUAN GONZALEZ, Texas Rangers;
1995 MO VAUGHN, Boston Red Sox;
1994 FRANK THOMAS, Chicago White Sox;
1993 *FRANK THOMAS, Chicago White Sox;
1992 DENNIS ECKERSLEY, Oakland Athletics;
1991 CAL RIPKEN Jr., Baltimore Orioles;
1990 RICKEY HENDERSON, Oakland Athletics;
1989 ROBIN YOUNT, Milwaukee Brewers;
1988 *JOSE CANSECO, Oakland Athletics;
1987 GEORGE BELL, Toronto Blue Jays;
1986 ROGER CLEMENS, Boston Red Sox;
1985 DON MATTINGLY, New York Yankees;
1984 GUILLERMO (WILLIE) HERNANDEZ, Detroit Tigers;
1983 CAL RIPKEN Jr., Baltimore Orioles;
1982 ROBIN YOUNT, Milwaukee Brewers;
1981 ROLLIE FINGERS, Milwaukee Brewers;
1980 GEORGE BRETT, Kansas City Royals;
1979 DON BAYLOR, California Angels;
1978 JIM RICE, Boston Red Sox;
1977 ROD CAREW, Minnesota Twins;
1976 THURMAN MUNSON, New York Yankees;
1975 FRED LYNN, Boston Red Sox;
1974 JEFF BURROUGHS, Texas Rangers;
1973 *REGGIE JACKSON, Oakland A's;
1972 DICK ALLEN, Chicago White Sox;
1971 VIDA BLUE, Oakland A's;
1970 BOOG POWELL, Baltimore Orioles;
1969 HARMON KILLEBREW, Minnesota Twins;
1968 *DENNY McLAIN, Detroit Tigers;
1967 CARL YASTRZEMSKI, Boston Red Sox;
1966 *FRANK ROBINSON, Baltimore Orioles;
1965 ZOILO VERSALLES, Minnesota Twins;
1964 BROOKS ROBINSON, Baltimore Orioles;
1963 ELSTON HOWARD, New York Yankees;
1962 MICKEY MANTLE, New York Yankees;
1961 ROGER MARIS, New York Yankees;
1960 ROGER MARIS, New York Yankees;
1959 NELLIE FOX, Chicago White Sox;
1958 JACKIE JENSEN, Boston Red Sox;
1957 MICKEY MANTLE, New York Yankees;
1956 *MICKEY MANTLE, New York Yankees;
1955 YOGI BERRA, New York Yankees;
1954 YOGI BERRA, New York Yankees;
1953 *AL ROSEN, Cleveland Indians;
1952 BOBBY SHANTZ. Philadelphia Athletics;
1951 YOGI BERRA, New York Yankees;
1950 PHIL RIZZUTO, New York Yankees;
1949 TED WILLIAMS, Boston Red Sox;
1948 LOU BOUDREAU, Cleveland Indians;
1947 JOE DiMAGGIO, New York Yankees;
1946 TED WILLIAMS, Boston Red Sox;
1945 HAL NEWHOUSER, Detroit Tigers;
1944 HAL NEWHOUSER, Detroit Tigers;
1943 SPUD CHANDLER, New York Yankees;
1942 JOE GORDON, New York Yankees;
1941 JOE DiMAGGIO, New York Yankees;
1940 HANK GREENBERG, Detroit Tigers;
1939 JOE DiMAGGIO, New York Yankees;
1938 JIMMIE FOXX, Boston Red Sox;
1937 CHARLIE GEHRINGER, Detroit Tigers;
1936 LOU GEHRIG, New York Yankees;
1935 *HANK GREENBERG, Detroit Tigers;
1934 MICKEY COCHRANE, Detroit Tigers;
1933 JIMMIE FOXX, Philadelphia Athletics;
1932 JIMMIE FOXX, Philadelphia Athletics;
1931 LEFTY GROVE, Philadelphia Athletics.