Caleb Durbin's first Boston quotes prove Brewers helped fulfill his destiny

Former Milwaukee Brewers' infielder Caleb Durbin grew up in Lake Forest, Illinois, and though he was careful not to admit it during his time in Milwaukee, that fact likely means that he grew up rooting for the Chicago Cubs. Maybe he was a fan of the Chicago White Sox, or maybe his stop at Washington University in St. Louis grew some fond feelings for the St. Louis Cardinals, but regardless Durbin grew up nowhere near the Boston Red Sox.

However, that didn't stop Durbin from being a fan of one particular Red Sox legend growing up: Dustin Pedroia. As reported by Gabrielle Star of the Boston Herald yesterday evening, Durbin was a fan of the short-statured Pedroia, who overcame his height to become one of the best infielders in Red Sox' history. Star's article, which includes quotes from Durbin during his first press conference in Boston, is available over at the Boston Herald.

While the comparisons were expected, given the similarities in height and the way that they both play the game, let's make something very clear: the Brewers didn't just trade the next Dustin Pedroia to the Red Sox. Sure, Durbin might make a few plays that are reminiscent of Boston legend, and New York Yankees fans are bound to curse the Brewers for sending a scrappy, frustrating opponent to the Red Sox to seemingly follow in Pedroia's footsteps. However, there's reason to believe that Durbin just put together one of the best seasons of his career, and even though he finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting, that doesn't mean his path is likely to follow that of the 4x All-Star Pedroia's.

Caleb Durbin seemed destined to follow in Dustin Pedroia's footsteps, but don't expect him to match the former MVP's production on the field

Not only was Pedroia a 4x All-Star, but he was the Rookie of the Year and AL MVP in back-to-back seasons, and neither was his best season in terms of Wins Above Replacement (WAR). Pedroia's best season in that regard came in 2011 when he racked up a ridiculous 8.0 bWAR. In his 14-year MLB career, Pedroia collected 51.8 total bWAR, and he earned a 20.7% vote share on this year's Hall of Fame ballot.

Durbin acknowledged that he only hopes "to be a little bit like" Pedroia, but Red Sox fans and Yankee fans seem convinced that he's the second-coming of the Boston legend. However, in Durbin's excellent rookie season, he compiled 2.8 bWAR, which certainly makes him a productive big leaguer if he can continue that production throughout his career, but the comparisons to Pedroia should end with the fact that both players have had to overcome obstacles due to their height.

Yes, Pedroia had an excellent career without eclipsing the 20-homer mark more than once, but he still maintained a career slugging percentage of .439 and a batting average of .299. Durbin was at .387 and .256, respectively, in his breakout rookie season. Additionally, Pedroia was a 4x Gold Glover at second base, and while Durbin's glove is decent, expecting him to add some gold to his trophy case in the near future is a bold prediction.

The second Durbin was traded to the Red Sox earlier this week, the comparisons between him and Pedroia felt inevitable. Boston fans are dreaming about adding the second-coming of their former MVP to their infield group for the next five seasons. Yes, there are some physical similarities and each plays the game the same way, but comparing Durbin's production to that of a borderline Hall of Famer after one strong season is bold. It was certainly a surprising trade, but Brewers fans should feel confident in the return that they received by selling high on the second-year infielder.