After one of the best two-year stretches to start a career – Pedroia won the Rookie of the Year and followed it up with an MVP – Pedroia had an injury-plagued 2010. And it appears to be on the verge of happening again.
Although his recent scare was ruled as just a bone bruise, the 27-year-old is off to a sluggish start, currently batting a paltry .247 — 52 points lower than his career average of .299.
While part of his slow start can be attributed to the bone bruise suffered in mid-May, Pedroia started to have his average dip toward the end of April.
It's not entirely clear whether Pedroia gets going at the beginning of the season or during the dog days of summer. Back in his 2008 MVP campgain, Pedroia posted a casual .281 batting average through the first two months of the season before exploding for a .353 average over the next two months. In 2009, Pedroia started strong with a .326 average through May, but cooled down as the temperature went up, posting a .276 over June and July.
An injury-riddled 2010 was starting off a lot like his MVP year, as the three-time All-Star batted just .255 through the first two months, but scorched June to the tune of a .374 average before suffering a broken bone in his foot that would cost him most of the season.
This year has been similar to the last, with Pedroia batting .240 through May. However, the bat hasn't woken up since his collision May 16 against the Baltimore Orioles and the recent minimally invasive scope that was done to make sure there was no significant damage done to his knee.
While it appears Pedroia won't miss any significant time unless he reinjures the knee, it's a cause for concern for Red Sox fans if Pedroia can't turn this recent funk around once he's completely healthy.
Thankfully for Pedroia and the Red Sox, interleague play is one week away, where Pedroia is a career .345 hitter.
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