Dustin Pedroia is on the comeback trail

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Ron Schwane

Dustin Pedroia has had a tough time with injuries in his career, particularly last season, but all reports suggest he's ready to come back better and healthier this season. Dave Dombrowksi told Pedroia to emphasize quickness in the off-season, per Masslive.com, noting how it worked for Ian Kinsler:

"We talked about emphasizing quickness, and I think at his age, you end up being where you need to do that," Dombrowski said in December. "I heard the same thing about Ian Kinsler a couple years ago, (then he) had his best two years defensively that he's ever had. Part of that was he changed his program in that he worked more on his quickness at that time. I've seen that work with guys."

Pedroia himself said that he's trying to expand his game and be more well-rounded:

"I'm training to be an athlete, not do (just) certain things," Pedroia said. "I'm not trying to just hit home runs or drive the ball. I'm trying to whatever is thrown at me be able to acclimate and make a play. Just training to be an athlete instead of more sports-specific." Pedroia has put an emphasis on building his strength the past two offseasons. "I want to beat teams 10 different ways, man: stealing bags, hitting singles, doubles, making plays," Pedroia said. "That's what I'm trying to do. That's my focus — not on just one thing."

Last season, Pedroia started out well, hitting at a .306 clip with 9 home runs, 14 doubles, and 33 RBI's, but went down with a hamstring injury in June. The key for Pedroia will be staying healthy, and it sounds like he's been working on that this off-season. And that spells trouble for other teams - if Pedroia is healthy, he'll be a big factor in our success this season.

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