Chris Snow of the Globe says in today's issue that the Red Sox's top pick in the 2004 draft, Dustin Pedroia, will be moving from his shortstop position to play second base in Portland (AA) this season.
Pedroia's move to second base doesn't come as a surprise, because many people, including me, envision him playing there because of the depth the Sox already have at shortstop. But what does come as a surprise is that he'll apparently start the season in double-A Portland after only have 42 games in the Red Sox organization. Compare that to top prospect Hanley Ramirez, who had played in 309 games with the Red Sox before being promoted to Portland. You can attribute that to age because Ramirez started in the organization when he was 17, and Pedroia was 20 coming out of college, but it's still an impressive feat.
Since his arrival to the organization after the draft last year, Pedroia has quickly become one of my favorite prospects. And yesterday he showed why. In the spring training win over the Dodgers in Vero Beach yesterday, Pedroia played all nine innings at second base and went an impressive 2 for 3 with an RBI double and a walk.
According to the article, Pedroia has had meetings recently with Sox executives who've told him he'd start the season playing second in Portland. Not only does he accept his role, but he welcomes it with open arms.
It's just a matter of time before he is playing in the majors. And hopefully it follows suit to my wishes and he's wearing a Boston Red Sox uniform when he does.
I'll be covering Pedroia all season long here at Over The Monster. So check in frequently once the season starts, because I'll have weekly updates on him and three other Sox prospects, including Ramirez.