NEW YORK — The next time someone doubts him, Dustin Pedroia will have a pretty good answer.

He can just hold up his AL MVP award.

Told forever that he was too little to play with the big leaguers, Pedroia added to his ever-expanding trophy case Tuesday.

The Boston second baseman with the meaty swing easily beat out Minnesota slugger Justin Morneau, Red Sox teammate Kevin Youkilis and record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez in a scattered ballot that saw five different players draw first-place votes.

"I'm not the biggest guy in the world. I don't have that many tools," he said. "If you saw me walking down the street, you wouldn't think I'm a baseball player."

Generously listed at 5-foot-9, Pedroia has quickly piled up a huge stack of hardware. Earlier this month, he won the Gold Glove and the Silver Slugger. He was the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year and capped off that season with a World Series ring.

"I had to overcome a lot of things to prove people wrong, and so far I've done that," the 25-year-old Pedroia said on a conference call from his home in Arizona. "I have to find a way to have that edge."

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein suggested, kiddingly, how he'd motivate Pedroia in the future.

"I think I might have to remind him that there's still some scouts who think he can't play," he said.