Dustin Pedroia. End of article.

Right?

He was the 2007 Rookie of the Year and the 2008 AL MVP. In 2009, he batted .296 and had a .371 OBP and .447 SLG. He’s famous for getting his uniform dirty with insane diving plays at 2nd, belting improbable home runs and RBI’s for a guy his size,  talking incredibly arrogant smack, and his lousy acting in his commercial deals. What’s not to love?

“He embodies just about everything we look for in a Red Sox player, and that makes this a great day for the organization,” general manager Theo Epstein said after the contract signing in 2008.  “Dustin plays hard, first and foremost, all the time. He plays to win. He plays for his teammates, not himself.”

He’s signed a six year deal at the end of the ‘08 season for $40.5M with an option for 2015. Barring injury, second base is locked down for the foreseeable future, and Pedroia is one of the very few bright spots for the 2010 season.

According to RedSox.com, Dustin said he’d be willing to slide over to shortstop, but the recent signing of Marco Scutaro to short will leave Pedroia where he’s at.

Worst case, Pedroia gets hurt (gawd fawbid), who do the Sox have lined up in reserve?

The Sox acquired Tug Hulett in November for a player to be named later or cash from the Kansas City Royals. In 15 games in Kansas City, he batted .111 with an .158 OBP and .111 SLG. His career numbers (which span ‘08-’09) are .194 BA, .270 OBP, and .254 SLG. A little better, but not great.

The scouting report from SoxProspects.com says:

Versatile infielder plays mostly second base, but also has seen a lot of time at shortstop and third base. Average defensively. Makes good contact, has a little bit of pop. Solid plate discipline. Smart base runner.

Let’s hope Dustin stays healthy.