Dustin Pedroia continues to astonish the baseball world.

At every level he's played from the time he was a kid from California, the Red Sox second baseman has beaten the odds and proved the naysayers wrong.

That was the case again Tuesday afternoon, when the 25-year-old was named the 2008 American League Most Valuable Player.

He's completed his second full season in the majors, and already he's won the Rookie of the Year, a Silver Slugger Award, a Gold Glove and the MVP. He's become a royal pain in the butt for the opposition, and that's why he's been so successful.

So what makes him so special?

Red Sox manager Terry Francona, the son of a former major leaguer, knows why.

"The game will never change," said Francona. "But you put him in any era, on any team, and he will be a star and a leader. There are a lot of things that make him special. One of them is the fact he wakes up every morning and wants to kick somebody's [butt].

"That's part of him. I get to see him more than anybody, so maybe I respect him more than anybody. I love that. It takes all kinds. Some guys wake up and they'll play the game, and then they'll go home. With Pedey, it stays with him a little bit. That's the kind of kid he is."

The Red Sox and Pedroia were discussing a possible long-term deal during the season until talks broke down in August. No question he's a priority for the club to lock up for a long time, and no doubt the Red Sox will end up paying him big money because of the success he's had.

Pedroia has impressed at every level and no one appreciates that more than Francona, who believes Pedroia will be in a Red Sox uniform for a long time.

"Oh, I think he'll be in Boston after I'm done managing," Francona said. "If he stays healthy, he's such a good player and he has so many different ways to beat you. He's such a good defender, but he's a better defender when the game is on the line. He's a good baserunner, but he's a better baserunner when the game is on the line. He's great hitter and he's a better hitter when the game is on the line. Those are all great traits that we really respect."

After the Red Sox selected him as their first pick (65th overall in the second round), Pedroia began his pro career at Single-A Augusta in 2004. He quickly moved up the ranks in the organization, reaching Double-A Portland and then Triple-A Pawtucket in 2005.

PawSox manager Ron Johnson heard about the type of player Pedroia was, but didn't realize what he was getting until he saw him Pedroia an every day basis in Pawtucket.

"It's easy to jump on the bandwagon right now, saying, 'I knew this guy was going to be a star,' but the first time I saw him in Pawtucket after spring training I was like, 'What in the world?' Then you start watching him play and you realize what he brings to the ballclub every single day, and then you start realizing his value."

Pedroia really is a throwback player.

"We spend so much time evaluating tools, mechanics, swings, bodies, arm strength and all those things. Then this guy just goes out and basically puts the barrel of the bat to the ball, and when it's hit to him, he catches it. It's very impressive. You look at his numbers and you think, 'Oh my God.' It's phenomenal."

Jason McLeod, the Red Sox' director of amateur scouting, has worked in the organization since 2003 and was part of the scouting and management team that drafted Pedroia in 2004.

McLeod remembers vividly the first time he saw Pedroia play.

It was the fall of 2001, Pedroia's freshman year at Arizona State University, when McLeod, who was working as a scout for the Padres, got his first glimpse of the future MVP. Major League Baseball and the scouting bureau held a scouting school. The project for this certain day was to select the two best players on the field.

"Cleary it was Dustin that day," recalls McLeod. "He played liked the way we get to see him play every day in Boston. He did everything on the field and made all the plays at short. He hit line drives into the gaps. We thought, 'Wow. This kid is going to be a really good college player.'"

Pedroia impressed despite his 5-foot-7, 130-pound frame at that time.

When all the scouts returned to the classroom that day, the instructor told those in attendance something McLeod won't forget.

The instructor said, "I know that little shortstop impressed a lot of you guys, but this is a classic example of evaluating with your heart. You want to root for this kid because of his stature and how hard he plays," recalls McLeod. "But those aren't the type of guys who play in the major leagues."

McLeod said he reminds Pedroia of that story all the time.

After McLeod joined the Red Sox, and as the 2004 draft approached, Boston had Pedroia as a priority on its list. The problem, however, was that the Red Sox weren't making a selection until the 65th overall pick, and management thought there was no way Pedroia would still be available.

But he was, and the Red Sox grabbed him.

"We were pleasantly surprised he was still there for us," McLeod said.

The biggest thing that stood out for the Sox' scouting department was Pedroia's hand-eye coordination, both in the field and at the plate.

"It's incredible," McLeod said.

"Dustin has played up to our expectations," said McLeod. "We were convinced he could play in the major leagues and have a good career."

Still, there were some who had their doubts. Even those within the Red Sox organization who knew he was going to be a good player never believed he would have this kind of success, this soon.

"I don't think any of us could have sat there and told you that he would win the Rookie of the Year and then follow that up with an MVP season," admitted McLeod. "We are not surprised because of his determination and confidence level he brings to the park every day."

Rob Rinaldi, Pedroia's baseball coach at Woodland High School in California, witnessed that level of intensity when Pedroia was 11 years old. Brett Pedroia was a senior on the varsity team for Rinaldi when his younger brother would show up at practice and want to participate.

"Right from the start, you could tell there was something special about him," said Rinaldi. "He would come out with the varsity kids and jump right into the infield drills, batting practice, and if I tried to take a little off, he would yell at me, 'Throw it as hard as you're throwing it to those guys.' He would get up there and hit line drives. He's just had that confidence from the first time I saw him."

Rinaldi stays in touch with Pedroia, and the two were able to spend some time together last June in Boston with their families. His high school coach, who is still coaching at the interscholastic level at Pleasant Grove High in Elk Grove, Calif., always knew Pedroia was a special player, but he never imagined this.

"When he was in high school, could I have imagined him as the American League MVP? Probably not," he said. "But when he was at Arizona State and achieved right from the start at that level, I finally realized that I can't have any limits for this kid. There's nothing he can’t do.

"We are all a little surprised," added Rinaldi. "Even after the year he put up last year, with the Rookie of the Year and a World Series champion, to come out and win a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger and the MVP, I don't know if anyone expects that out of anybody."

The best part for the Red Sox and Pedroia: It's only the beginning.

Early in his pro career, Pedroia was often compared to former Boston infielder Jody Reed, who finished an 11-year major-league career with a .270 average. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound Reed hit only 27 homers and drove in 392 runs during his career.

Pedroia is already on his way to surpassing those numbers easily.

"We have not seen his best," Francona said.

jmcdonal@projo.com