ASU's 50 Best Professional Athletes: No. 6 Former AL MVP Dustin Pedroia

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that the sixth to final name on our list, Dustin Pedroia, is the best infielder to ever put on an Arizona State Uniform.

While on campus, Pedroia posted a staggering .384 batting average, racked up countless accolades, and most impressively started each and every one of the 185 games he played in.

After a stellar 2004 season at ASU, the Boston Red Sox selected Pedroia with the 65th pick in that year's MLB Draft and since that selection, things have worked out decently well in Fenway Park.

There may not be a correlation (unless you believe in destiny, the power of the universe, and the will of the mystics), but Boston went on to win the 2004 World Series just a few months after drafting Pedroia after coming back from a three-game deficit to the New York Yankess in the ALCS, breaking the Curse of the Bambino, and brought the Red Sox their first championship since 1918.

Pedroia played in the minors for two years before seeing action at Fenway in 2006, but 2007 would be where he'd quickly establish himself as a vital part of Boston's lineup.

Pedroia took home that year's Rookie of the Year award in the American League, hitting .317 for the the season, and helped the Red Sox bring home another World Series by sweeping the Colorado Rockies.

Individually, 2008 was an even better year for Pedroia as he hit a career-high .326, ranked in the top-10 among position players in wins above replacement, and was named the AL's Most Valuable Player.

The Red Sox won another World Series in 2013 with Pedroia hitting .301 on the year, being named to his fourth MLB All-Star team, and getting seventh in AL MVP voting.

Two rings, an MVP trophy, four all-star selections, four Gold Glove Awards, and a Silver Slugger Award for a guy who is only listed at 5' 9". Outside of maybe David Ortiz, there hasn't been a ballplayer who embodies the heart and soul of the Red Sox more than Dustin Pedroia.