Something positive did come from Thursday’s Mitchell Report on steroid use in Major League Baseball.

The game does need a major cleansing, but it appears it is heading in the right direction already with the young players in the league, inasmuch as not one player named in the report was under the age of 27 — though that’s not to say that there aren’t professional players in their early 20s who have taken performance-enhancing drugs.

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, 24, recently coined the phrase “clean generation” when talking about all the young talent in both the major and minor leagues.

If there is such a thing as the “clean generation,” what makes these players even more remarkable is that they were playing high school baseball at the height of Steroid Era, and possibly could have been influenced by their heroes.

When former Sen. George Mitchell presented his report to the world Thursday, he spoke about the importance of educating children on the harmful effects of PEDs. He did say steroid use among youngsters has decreased in the last decade, and Pedroia says fans are seeing that change at the major-league level right now.

“Coming up through the Red Sox organization, I never heard the talk about steroids…,” said Pedroia. “I think the game is getting cleaned up and it’s definitely a lot better for baseball.”

The World Series champion and American League Rookie of the Year in 2007, Pedroia was very interested to learn the names of those players mentioned in the report and was relieved to know not one current Red Sox player was on it.

“This is all new to me,” he said. “It’s pretty much new to everybody. It was definitely a shock with all the names, but we have to move forward because we want fans to enjoy this game. It is a great game.”

Pedroia was also quick to point out all the young talent within the Sox’ organization — all of whom are 26 or younger — are all of sound mind and body. Players such as Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz, Brandon Moss, and Pedroia, consider themselves fortunate to be part of a new and cleaner game.

“I think a lot of teams are going on to draft college players because they are a lot more mature and understanding of the game,” said Pedroia, who played three seasons at Arizona State before he decided to turn pro. “They play because they love the game. I’m speaking for a lot of guys in our organization. A lot came up through the minor leagues, and these are baseball players; they’re not about numbers, they are about helping the team win.

“The Red Sox have done a great job drafting a lot of players like that,” Pedroia added. “I don’t think steroids enter into any of those guys’ minds.

"If a guy is on steroids, then you have to try to outwork them naturally. If they’re working out for an hour, then I’m working out for two hours. You have to try to overcome a lot of things.”

If there’s any player in Major League Baseball who people might think took steroids at some point, Pedroia could be on that list just because of his 5-foot-7, 180-pound frame. He’s confident and carries a big bat, but he said he has never taken any kind of substance to help his performance.

“No,” he said. “Being a young player and being around a lot of young guys, not one time has someone said to me ‘You should take this.’ No one has ever asked. There hasn’t even been a thought in my mind or anyone around me that if you take steroids, you’re going to do this. I’ve never been approached and I’ve never even thought about doing it. Obviously, with my position I don’t need to take steroids. I’m here to play good defense and get on base. I don’t get paid to hit home runs. It never crossed my mind to do something like that. It really wouldn’t benefit me. I would never do it.”

Pedroia is part of the post-steroid era and feels like he missed it by 5 to 10 years.

“I’ve never heard of anybody doing it coming through the minor leagues or anything,” he recalls. “There’s never been one time in the locker room or hearing any talk about it.”

The argument can be made that fans want to see one of two things when they go to the ballpark — an offensive onslaught with a ton of homers or a pitching duel. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa revitalized baseball with their home-run chase to No. 61 in the summer of 1998. It was around that time when people began to whisper publicly about the possibility of players using PEDs. Still, a lot of people in the business put on the blinders to the situation.

In Pedroia’s mind, the game will get away from big power numbers and low ERAs and back to players relying on fundamentals rather than supplements.

“The game is going to get back to the guy who will do anything he can to help his team win,” said Pedroia, “meaning bunting guys over or hitting the ball to the right side with a runner on second and nobody out — just the little things. You’re going to see more of that in the game.”