Not impressed

Pedroia won’t slow down after solid rookie year

MLB. Second baseman Dustin Pedroia was one of the first position players to report to the Red Sox’ spring training facility last weekend, and it was no surprise to learn that a Rookie of the Year campaign hasn’t removed any motivation from his fiery game.

Pedroia is coming off a rookie season in which he fended off early critics to hit .317 and help spark the Sox to a World Series crown. But “Pedro” clearly isn’t resting on last season’s accomplishments.

The spunky second sacker continued the rigorous offseason workout program that allowed him to become a fixture at the top of Boston’s batting order, and he still employs his Napoleonic me-against-the-world mentality as perpetual motivation.

“I put a lot of effort into the weight room and conditioning, and I feel great and ready to go,” said Pedroia, who spent the offseason in Arizona working out at the API facility with Kevin Youkilis, Kyle Snyder and Manny Ramirez. “I don’t give a [expletive] what anybody says about me. I’m going to go out there and be who I am, and if you don’t like it, then you can go watch somebody else.”

Instead, the 5-foot-9, 180-pounder concentrated on improving his foot speed and overall athleticism while healing from November surgery that removed a damaged hamate bone from his left hand.

The 24-year-old doesn’t expect to swipe 20 bags this season, but it’s simply an effort to consistently tinker with and improve his all-around game. Not that tinkering is required for Pedroia, who finished 10th in the American League in batting average and earned the distinction of being the second most difficult hitter to strike out in the AL (once every 12.4 at-bats) last season.

Just don’t ask him if he’s reminiscing about his Rookie of the Year hardware after setting the big-league record for batting average by a first-year second baseman.

“I just want to be the guy that helps out the team and does anything for [my teammates],” Pedroia said. “I don’t think about [the award]. … That’s just something that the sportswriters vote on. I don’t even think I was the best rookie last year.

“I might even put a little holster on [the award] and use it to hold up my garage door,” Pedroia said, tongue in cheek. “The only thing I know is that I got an opportunity to play in the World Series, and we won. That’s what our goal was all year.”