MLB Rookies of the Year Announced

MLB has announced the Rookie of the Year for the AL and NL for the 2007 season. They are (drum roll please)...........

AL: Dustin Pedroia - This name seems to show up a lot on this site, but with good reason. He is an amazing player and deserves this award. Not many players would be willing to play or tolerate the pain of having a broken bone in their hand during the last two months of the season. Pedroia won this vote without any second guessing.

NL: Ryan Braun - Ryan squeaked by Troy Tulowitzki to win the vote. If you examine the numbers since his call up to the MLB on May 25, his numbers would be remarkably similar to Alex Rodriguez's without the enormous paycheck. Braun had an average of .324 and 34 Home Runs while A-Rod had an average of .317 and 36 Home Runs. This goes to show you a team doesn't need big, expensive bats to get the job done. The Yankees, for example, should learn from this for next year. Braun will be a household name like A-Rod in the years to follow.

Boston Can Add Another Story To Its List Of Achievements

We all know the Boston Red Sox won the World Series and rookie Dustin Pedroia was a major factor who contributed to their success. BUT, how many rookies do you know are able to hit home runs, field, and steal bases with a cracked bone? According to the Boston Herald, Dustin Pedroia revealed that he was playing the last two months of the season and the playoffs with a cracked hamate bone in his left wrist. Pedroia doesn't know when or how the injury occurred, but his injury was discovered by an MRI on September 10th and he is now wearing a soft cast following surgery.

Pedroia said to the Boston Herald, "It was just one of those things you know you have to take care of after the season, but you have to play through. A lot of guys have done that. You definitely don't want to shut it down and have surgery during the whole thing. We just had to find a way to fight through it."

This is similar to Curt Schilling's Game 6 ALCS and Game 2 of the World Series victorys in 2004 in which he pitched with an injured tendon sutured in place, resulting in blood stains on his Socks which came to be symbolic of their success.

Though Pedroia is restricted from using his left hand until December, he said this injury will not upset his workouts and training during the offseason.