Pedroia has routinely proven doubters wrong along the way to winning a Rookie of the Year award, a World Series title, a Gold Glove and now the prestigious MVP trophy.

Pedroia led the American League in runs, hits and doubles while finishing second with a .326 average, all the while battling back at the voices of those foolish enough to have doubted him.

"Obviously I'm motivated. I'm not the biggest guy in the world. I don't have that many tools. If you look at me and I'm walking down the street, you obviously wouldn't think I'm a baseball player," he said. "I think that's the biggest thing that drives me to be a good player. I've had to deal with that my whole life. I think that's just been instilled in my mind. I have to overcome everything to prove people wrong."

Pedroia is the 10th Red Sox player to snag the highest award bestowed on an American League player -- the first since Mo Vaughn in 1995 -- and is one of the most beloved players in franchise history given the fact that he looks more like Joe the Plumber than Dustin the MVP.

In a statement released by the team, Pedroia's leadership component was lauded along with his gaudy stats: "It is a well-deserved honor, and we are delighted that his outstanding season has been recognized," read the statement. "The .326 batting average, 213 hits, 118 runs, 54 doubles, 17 home runs, and 20 stolen bases do not tell the whole story of how valuable Dustin was to the team in 2008. He also played gritty Gold Glove defense, and served as the igniting spark plug in our clubhouse all year."