There are many out there who think Dustin Pedroia is a sleeper pick this season. He's certainly got a lot to prove after his injury-marred 2015 season. He's a player who bleeds for the game and he's going to be aiming to bring himself back to the upper echelon. The question is... is it a realistic assessment?

Our writers certainly think so, having put him at a Tier 3 ranking for second basemen. He's not considered in the rarefied air that Jose Altuve and Dee Gordon breathe now. Most of our seven-writer panel pegged him between No. 8 and No. 10 among his peers at the position. One of them was quite skeptical and had him ranked all the way at No. 18, a fact that would probably make Pedroia direct a laser show out of his eyes at that writer.

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2016 Outlook

In terms of his overall ranking, three of our writers had him ranked at No. 89, No. 113 and No. 130 out of their Top 300 players. Clearly they think that there's still something in his tank. It's just a matter of how much risk you want to take to put him on your team. There's always the chance that someone in your draft is going to be a rabid Red Sox fan and they'll grab him as soon as possible. If that happens, just shrug your shoulders and go about finding a contingency like Daniel Murphy or Ben Zobrist -- you ARE using our ADP Sleeper Tool, right?

One of the metrics that Pedroia wants to change is speed - he told reporters that he wanted to run more this season. That's encouraging but it could also give people reason for pause. Hamstring problems plagued him in '15 and it's not like they get looser as one gets older. He's had the element of speed on his side, having swiped at least 20 bases four times, though those numbers dropped drastically over the past couple of seasons and his total number of games has dropped those two years as well. He had all of two last year, though his hamstring problems played a huge part. If he's managed to get his wheels going again... that could be a huge boon for his draftees. But nothing's guaranteed in baseball - except the contract, though Pedroia would most definitely want to be on the field more often than not through the remainder of his deal, which runs through 2021.

Conclusion

If Pedroia gets back to his 190-hit, 40-double standard, then that would make him a true steal for those that manage to pick him up later in the draft. He's entirely capable of doing it, but the mind can only will so much if the body isn't able to take it. Sure, he has trainers and nutritionists and all kinds of medical personnel doing their utmost to keep him on the field, but there's no predicting when a hamstring will go again. Legs are tricky. It might be a good idea to have a lucky rabbit's foot or something similar nearby if you do wind up picking him, sleeper or not.

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