BOSTON — He may be considered a little brother amongst his teammates, but around the rest of Major League Baseball, Red Sox rookie second baseman Dustin Pedroia became a bully this season.

He’s a candidate for Rookie of the Year thanks to his old-school mentality and tremendous work ethic, both of which helped him become quickly accepted by the veteran players on the club. Pedroia had the type of season some may not have expected, but certainly those people who gave him an opportunity knew exactly what they would get.

He was consistent. He was determined. His play was bold.

“Dustin’s a gamer,” said Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon. “He’s a guy who straps it on every day with high energy. He may not look that great, but he’s a gamer.”

When Pedroia was hitting just .172 in the first 21 games of the season, he wasn’t happy with the subpar first impression he was giving his teammates and the fans.

“Once I get comfortable and my game comes out, I think everybody around here is going to love me,” he said back in May. “It’s just of matter of settling down and playing like I know how to play.”

From May 1 until yesterday, Pedroia compiled a .335 average over the final 116 games to prove a lot of people wrong.

What do you say to the people who may have doubted you?

“I don’t care about all that stuff,” he said. “I know I had a great year, and I plan on having a ton of great years …. It’s been great and it’s always good to have the fans on your side. It’s definitely not easy when you’re struggling and they’re on you. If you can turn it around, it definitely says something about what kind of player, and what kind of person you are.”

Not only did Pedroia exceed some peoples’ expectations, he also made history.

He finished the season with a .3173 batting average, which is the highest ever among qualifying rookie second basemen in baseball history. After going 165-for-520, Pedroia surpassed Jim Viox, who hit .3171, for Pittsburgh in 1913.

What’s more impressive, Pedroia did not know about his accomplishment until someone informed him of it after the game.

“Really?” he answered. “I got him. That’s pretty cool.”

When the Red Sox parted ways with second baseman Mark Loretta during the offseason, it was clear Boston was making a statement to Pedroia. In fact, he spoke with GM Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona in January and was told the job was his. So, he prepared to make an impact.

“I know my offseason workouts would be huge for me,” he said back in April. “It made me feel more relaxed during spring training. I’m not a fast starter, it takes me a while to get going, but once I get going I get really hot and I can stay that way for the rest of the year.”

Ironically, Pedroia struggled in spring training and for the first month of the season, but like his self-prophecy, the next five months he was spectacular.

“He played great,” said Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo about his double-play partner. “He’s one of the best over there and he deserves a lot of credit. He was consistent all year long.”

Pedroia, 24, was Boston’s second-round selection (65th overall) in 2004, and the first time he worked out with the Red Sox late that season, it was clear the type of work ethic he had. Because of that, he rose through the organization very quickly and when he arrived at Triple-A Pawtucket in 2005, PawSox manger Ron Johnson already knew what type of player he would have on his club.

“He’s a baseball player, man,” said Johnson, who also managed Pedroia at Double-A Portland. “You can’t have him play for you and not love him; it’s impossible.”

It didn’t take long for the Red Sox and their fans to feel the same way about the 5-foot-8 infielder, who swings the bat like he’s Paul Bunyan. Defensively, Pedroia has some of the quickest hands around the bag and is able to turn double plays with relative ease. He gets to almost every ground ball hit to the right side, and if he doesn’t, he gets dirty trying.

Now he’ll enter his first postseason as an integral part for the Red Sox.

“I’m excited about it and I can’t wait,” he said. “Right now I’m not thinking about [my accomplishments]. I’m just thinking about the Angels.”

jmcdonal@projo.com