Lynn-droia by Jared Carrabis
From 1975 to 2008: Comparing Fred Lynn to Dustin Pedroia

In 1975, Red Sox center fielder Fred Lynn edged out the man that stood in front of the big green wall, Jim Rice, for the 1975 Rookie of the Year. In 1975 Fred Lynn led the American League in doubles, slugging percentage and runs scored. Lynn was the runner-up for the batting title with a .331 average and was awarded a Gold Glove award for his outstanding defensive play. All of these achievements culminated when he was presented with the 1975 Most Valuable Player Award. Fred Lynn became the first player in the history of the game to take home the Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season and he did it for our very own Boston Red Sox.

As we fast forward to 2008, we find that Red Sox second baseman, Dustin Pedroia, has find his name linked to the American League MVP crown. In comparison to Fred Lynn's numbers in 1975, Dustin Pedroia also finished second for the American League batting title just two points behind Joe Mauer at a cool .326. Pedroia's average in 2008 fell just five points short of where Fred Lynn finished his magical 1975 season. Dustin Pedroia's 54 doubles during the regular season placed him atop all of Major League Baseball. In comparison, Lynn had just 47 doubles to lead the league in '75.

In 2008, Pedroia was fourth in the Majors with 653 at bats. Pedroia's .493 slugging percentage is the highest in the Majors among the top eight players with the most at bats in the game. Lynn's .566 slugging percentage in '75 would have been better than Pedroia's but would still have finished behind Alex Rodriguez (.573), Carlos Quentin (.571), and Kevin Youkilis (.569).

As it stands today, Fred Lynn won three more pieces of hardware in 1975 than Pedroia in 2008. However, the dirt dog second baseman is on the door step of two of them and was inches away from the third. Fred Lynn was of course a member of the 1975 American League Champion Boston Red Sox. Dustin Pedroia homered in Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS but the Red Sox fell just three runs short of the AL pennant.

Second, Fred Lynn won a Gold Glove in 1975, Pedroia has not...yet. Pedroia's .992 fielding percentage was second among American League second basemen. Mark Ellis posted a .993 fielding percentage for the Oakland A's in 2008 but here's the catch: Pedroia played almost 364 full innings more than Mark Ellis. That's a whole 40 games. Dustin Pedroia may have posted a fielding percentage one point lower, but he had 165 more total chances at second base than Mark Ellis and made just 6 errors in 733 total chances. Chalk up a Gold Glove for Pedroia.

Last but not least, that highly touted MVP award. Your guess is as good mine if it will go to either Pedroia or Youkilis. All I know is that Pedroia could care less if he wins it or not because his MVP-like efforts did not result in a World Series title. Sure, he'll consider it an honor but Pedroia would trade three MVP's for another World Series ring here in Boston.

Published on November 03, 2008

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