Just as it was bittersweet to watch Dustin Pedroia be inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame this summer, it’s bittersweet seeing his name on the Cooperstown ballot this week.

If not for the knee injuries, highlighted by the infamous Manny Machado incident, Baseball Hall of Fame eligibility might still be several years away and induction far likelier.

Instead, the longtime Red Sox second baseman is one of 14 former players who are seeing their name on the ballot for the first time.

The first 12 seasons of Pedroia’s 14-year career were full of Hall of Fame-worthy accomplishments and accolades. Between his first full season in the Majors in ‘07 (he played 31 games in ‘06) and the end of ‘17, he averaged 134 games a year and batted .302 with 1,785 hits. He walked (614) nearly as much as he struck out, which wasn’t often (644).

‘Pedey’ won his first World Series ring and American League Rookie of the Year in 2007, then followed it up by winning AL MVP, a Silver Slugger award, and his first of four Gold Glove awards in 2008. That year, the Red Sox fell to the Rays in a heartbreaking ALCS, but not before Pedroia hit three home runs in the series. In 2013, he suffered a UCL injury on Opening Day and didn’t have surgery until November, after the Red Sox wrapped up their third World Series parade of the decade; that was also his fourth and final All-Star season and third Gold Glove win.

Beset by knee issues, Pedroia played a total of nine games over his final two seasons in ‘18 and ‘19. There were surgeries and setbacks, which he tried valiantly to overcome. Finally, the ‘Laser Show’ called it a day.

His case for the Hall of Fame is an interesting one. There’s little chance he’s a first-ballot inductee, as Ichiro Suzuki is almost certain to be; he could even repeat the feat of legendary Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, the only unanimous inductee in Hall history. It will either finally be Billy Wagner’s year, or his last BBWAA disappointment; the longtime reliever was just 1.2-percent shy of the requisite 75-percent last year, but this is his final year of eligibility.

Pedroia finished his 14-year career with a .299 average, 1,805 hits, and 51.9 Wins Above Replacement (WAR). Seven Hall of Famers have at least 1,400 games played at second base and a batting average of .299 or higher: Nap Lajoie, Eddie Collins, Frankie Frisch, Rogers Hornsby, Cherlie Gehringer, Billy Herman, and Roberto Alomar.

Hanley Ramirez is also on this year’s ballot, as is Ian Kinsler. There’s little chance of Kinsler wearing a Sox cap on his hypothetical bronze plaque. He spent eight of his 14 MLB seasons in a Rangers uniform before getting his second and final Gold Glove and his only World Series ring as a trade deadline addition to the 2018 Red Sox.

Several big names are holdovers on this year’s ballot, having received more than the minimum requisite votes last year. 2004 World Series MVP Manny Ramirez and Boston’s longtime foe, Alex Rodriguez, are among those whose illustrious careers were tainted by allegations or suspensions for performance-enhancing drug allegations.

Ballots are due on Dec. 31 and results will be announced on Jan. 21. Induction is scheduled for July 27, 2025.

Abreu finishes 6th in Rookie of the Year voting

Yankees pitcher Luis Gil beat several American League East rivals for Rookie of the Year, including his teammate, catcher Austin Wells, who finished third. Orioles’ Colton Cowser finished second to Gil.

Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu finished sixth in voting, behind hard-throwing A’s reliever Mason Miller and Guardians’ Cade Smith. Abreu, who won the Gold Glove award for right-field earlier this month, received two second-place and five third-place votes for a total of 11 points.

Paul Skenes, who debuted on May 11 and became the first rookie to start an All-Star Game since 1995, took home NL Rookie of the Year honors.