Gold Glove winner Dustin Pedroia, throwing to first for an out in a game against the Athletics in August, says, “Obviously, I can still get better.”

The Providence Journal / Gretchen Ertl

Dustin Pedroia sits in the dugout every afternoon during the season waiting to take extra batting practice and ground balls.

Either before or after the session, which includes only a handful of Red Sox teammates, the second baseman will discuss that night’s opponent with shortstops Jed Lowrie and Alex Cora along with former major-league infielder and first-base coach Luis Alicea.

With the help of video and advance scouting reports, the group will break down each hitter and figure out where they will position themselves to have the advantage. That work on and off the field proved valuable for Pedroia and the Red Sox in 2008.

He was named the second baseman on the American League Gold Glove Team yesterday for his outstanding defensive play this year.

“Louie Alicea [who was recently let go by Boston] and Alex Cora helped me out a ton just preparing me from shortstop to second base,” Pedroia said. “We definitely took a ton of ground balls, trying to get better. The last couple of years I’ve proven myself. I can be a great defender in this league. I’m excited about [this award] because all that hard work paid off.”

The 26-year-old, who was the 2003 National Defensive Player of the Year as a shortstop at Arizona State, was drafted by the Red Sox in the second round (65th overall) on the 2004 draft and worked his way up as a shortstop.

During the 2006 season at Pawtucket, Pedroia played 74 games at shortstop and 33 at second base. But the Red Sox knew he would be their second baseman of the future. When he made his major-league debut later that season with Boston, he finished the year with the Red Sox by playing 27 games at second and only six games at short.

Pedroia said the biggest transition from the left to the right side of the infield was turning the double play. One of the players he studied turning the DP was Oakland’s Mark Ellis, who finished with a higher fielding percentage (.993) this season.

“I hang in there all the time and I’m not afraid to be taken out,” Pedroia said. “Your pitching staff needs those outs because they’re huge for your team.”

Pedroia takes the team approach first before focusing on individual accomplishments, so winning the Gold Glove was bittersweet because of the way the 2008 season ended — a Game Seven loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS.

“I was a little upset with the way the season ended,” he said. “It was tough watching the World Series. I found out (about the Gold Glove on Wednesday) and I was definitely excited. My family, friends and teammates have all sent me text messages. This is exciting for everybody because they have all helped me out to get to this point.”

Pedroia spends his offseason working out at Athletes’ Performance Institute in Arizona. Before the 2008 season, his goal was to become quicker and stronger in order to improve his fielding range.

He succeeded.

Pedroia finished this season with a .992 fielding percentage — only six errors in 773 chances. He committed only one error in the final 91 games of the season, including 61 consecutive errorless games.

“Obviously, I can still get better,” he said. “I’m going to work on that this offseason, too.”

Pedroia, who was the rookie of the year in 2007, has played only two full major-league seasons and already he’s rewriting the history books.

He’s only the third Red Sox player to win the Gold Glove in the last 17 years, joining Kevin Youkilis (2007) and Jason Varitek (2005).

Offensively, Pedroia was the third player in Red Sox history with 200 hits and 50 doubles in one season, joining Tris Speaker (1912) and Wade Boggs (1989). Pedroia also established Red Sox records for a second baseman in runs, hits, doubles, total bases, extra-base hits and multi-hit games.

He also joins Carlton Fisk (1972) and Fred Lynn (1975) as the only players in club history to earn Gold Glove and rookie of the year honors in their first two full major-league seasons.

“Everybody thinks of his hitting all the time because he had some big hits for them this year,” Lynn said. “He takes that big ’ol swing, so you kind of forget about his defense. But the same kind of attitude that he carries to the plate, he carries to the field. He’s an aggressive defender. He’s not afraid to take a chance. When you take chances, sometimes you’ll boot a ball because you’re aggressive, but I love the way he plays second base.”

When mentioned in the same breath as Red Sox legends, Pedroia always takes a humble approach.

“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “I didn’t really set expectations on myself when I got to the major leagues. The first two years have gone by so fast. I just put my head down and work as hard as I can, and when it’s time to play I play as hard as I can. That’s the attitude I’m going to take every single year for my whole career. I just put the blinders on, work as hard as I can and hopefully I’ll continue to be a better player.”

The accolades could continue to roll in for Pedroia. Up next is the American League MVP.

That award will be announced on Nov. 18, and Pedroia is a strong candidate after completing one of the best seasons ever by a major-league second baseman.

He started 155 games and led the majors with 54 doubles and tied the Mariners’ Ichiro Suzuki for first with 213 hits. Pedroia ranked second with 118 runs and 61 multi-hit games, both of which were tops in the A.L.

His .326 batting average was second in the league, behind the Twins’ Joe Mauer. Primarily the Sox’ No. 2 hitter, Pedroia also amassed 83 RBI.

When the MVP is announced he’ll be on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with his wife, Kelli.

“I’m not interested in vacations, but I’m going to make her happy,” Pedroia said jokingly. “Obviously, it was a great season, but personal goals are not big in my mind. I would rather have the feeling after ’07 than we did after ’08. The biggest thing for me right now is to focus on 2009.”

jmcdonal@projo.com