From MLB.com

Pedroia was listed first on 24 of the 28 ballots submitted by two writers in each league city and second on the other four to total 132 points. The Rays' Delmon Young finished second behind Pedroia with 56 points, and the Royals' Brian Bannister tallied 36 to place third in the vote. Pedroia's fellow teammates Daisuke Matsuzaka (12 points) and Hideki Okajima (3) came in fourth and sixth place, respectively.

For much of his baseball life, Pedroia has been told that he was too small and that his swing was too big. But Pedroia -- who is generously listed at 5-foot-9 -- knew he wasn't going to grow anymore, and he continually pointed out that his big swing led to success at every level he ever played at.

So Pedroia just kept doing what he was doing, even when things were at their bleakest earlier this season, and he wound up being a key member for a team that won the 2007 World Series.

Pedroia finished 10th in the AL this season with a .317 average. That batting average was the all-time best for rookie second basemen, as Pedroia beat out Jim Viox of the 1913 Pirates by two percentage points.

The 24-year-old Pedroia -- who was drafted by the Red Sox with the 65th overall pick in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft -- led all Major League rookies in doubles with 39 and was second in on-base percentage (.380) and third in runs (86).

 

2007 AL Rookie of the Year Voting
Player, Club	1st	2nd	3rd	Points
Dustin Pedroia, BOS	24	4		132
Delmon Young, TB	3	12	5	56
Brian Bannister, KC	1	8	7	36
Daisuke Matsuzaka, BOS		2	6	12
Reggie Willits, LAA		2	5	11
Hideki Okajima, BOS			3	3
Josh Fields, CWS			1	1
Joakim Soria, KC			1	1

After the rough April, Pedroia hit .415 in May, .333 in June, .299 in July, .346 in August and .302 in September.

Following a tough AL Division Series against the Angels in which Pedroia hit .154, he bounced back to hit .345 in the AL Championship Series against the Indians. And Pedroia got off to a most dramatic start in the World Series vs. the Rockie, leading off the bottom of the first inning with a home run over the Green Monster.

Making Pedroia's postseason heroics even more impressive is the fact he recently confided that he was playing with a cracked hamate bone in his left hand, an injury that was diagnosed on Sept. 10.

Though he's known for his offense, Pedroia played excellent defense for the Red Sox all season, making just six errors and producing a .990 fielding percentage.