» Pedroia

With a six-year extension under his belt, Pedroia will be looking to show he is worth every single penny.

He’s a little guy but he really packs a punch. Dustin Pedroia will be entering his third season in the Majors, coming off a spectacular MVP season from a year ago and a Rookie of the Year one the year before.

Pedroia is the complete package as a ballplayer-he’s a great hitter, he can hit for power on occasion, he is a Gold Glover, and he is fast. He is definitely going to make another huge impact this year.

The Sox do have a void behind Pedroia though, as Alex Cora signed with the Mets this offseason. This probably gives Julio Lugo the edge when it comes to the shortstop positional battle, as Lugo can’t play second, while Jed Lowrie can. The Sox may address this void later in the year if Lugo struggles early, but Lugo may finally contribute and postpone this until as late as the trade deadline.