Should Red Sox’s Dustin Pedroia Be In Hall Of Fame? Why Latest Voting Bodes Well

The National Baseball Hall of Fame may one day call for former Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia. But that call won’t be coming next month when the 2026 Class is announced.

So far, 83 ballots have been made public and Pedroia has appeared on 22. That’s just 25.3% and a player needs 75% for induction.

But there’s some good news here. First, Pedroia is pacing ahead of last year’s vote total when he made his ballot debut and was named on just 11.9% of those cast.

Second, fellow second baseman Chase Utley continues to track for eventual induction in Cooperstown and Pedroia compares favorably to the former Philadelphia Phillies star.

Utley has been named on 62.1% of ballots so far this year, which is his third on the ballot. Last year, Utley was named on just 39.8% of the ballots.

Taking a look at the numbers, Utley has a decent case for Cooperstown. He played 16 MLB seasons and collected 1,885 hits and 259 home runs with a lifetime .275 batting average and 64.6 WAR.

Pedroia played 14 seasons, although he took the field in a total of just nine games over his last two years thanks to Manny Machado’s ill-fated takeout slide. Pedroia had 1,805 hits, 140 home runs and a lifetime .299 batting average with 51.8 WAR.

But if you compare their 162-game averages, Pedroia fares much better.

Pedroia: .299, 15 home runs, 42 doubles, 193 hits, 99 runs, 78 RBIs, 15 stolen bases, .365/.439/.805, 5.6 WAR.

Utley: .275, 22 home runs, 34 doubles, 158 hits, 92 runs, 86 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, .358/.465/.823, 5.4 WAR.

Now take into account their resume honors.

Pedroia: Two World Series titles, four All-Star selections, four Gold Glove Awards, one Silver Slugger Award, 2007 American League Rookie of the Year, 2008 AL MVP.

Utley: One World Series title, six All-Star selections, four Silver Slugger Awards.

That’s it for Utley. No MVP, no Gold Glove Awards.

So if Utley gets into the Hall of Fame, which seems likely at some point during his 10-year eligibility period, the same should hold true for Pedroia.

And while we’re on the subject of Cooperstown, it’s not looking good for a pair of former Red Sox stars.

Left fielder Manny Ramirez has been named on 44.8% of the ballots cast to date. This is his final year on the ballot and he seems destined to be passed over.

Ramirez certainly has a Hall-of-Fame resume: 555 home runs, .312 batting average, 12-time All-Star, nine-time Silver Slugger Award winner, two-time World Series champion.

But members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America continue to resist voting for Ramirez, who failed multiple tests for performance-enhancing drugs.

It’s also not looking good for right-hander Rick Porcello. This is his first year on the ballot and to date, he has received zero votes. Porcello needs to be on five percent of the ballots cast to remain eligible for the next voting cycle.

Porcello won the 2016 AL Cy Young Award while pitching for the Red Sox, but never earned an invite to an All-Star game and won just 150 games over 12 seasons while posting a pedestrian 4.40 ERA.