FORT MYERS, Fla. – Caleb Durbin is used to being asked about his height.

“I hear questions about it every time I do press conferences,” said the newest Red Sox infielder, whose MLB profile lists him as being 5-foot-7. “It’s always going to be there. Not really something I worry too much about when I’m playing, but I’ve been the smallest guy on the field at every level. So it’s nothing new to me.”

Growing up, Durbin drew inspiration from another Red Sox infielder, one who was similarly built and immensely, odds-defyingly successful.

“He’s definitely one of my favorite players growing up,” Durbin said of Dustin Pedroia, “and a guy that I would definitely try to model my game around. Obviously, a long way to go, but he was a dude that I really enjoyed watching.”

According to StatHead, the Red Sox have had 38 players who were 5-foot-7 or shorter, most recently Jamie Westbrook (2024) and Donnie Sadler (1998-2000).

Pedroia is listed as 5-9, though that has been disputed and even disproven by the man himself in the past. “I’m 5-foot-8,” he told Boston Magazine during spring training in 2009.

“His size is part of who he is,” then-Red Sox general manager and current part-owner Theo Epstein told Boston Magazine for the same story. “His whole life people have been reacting to him, initially, in a certain manner, and his whole life he’s been channeling that and turning it around and laughing as he steps right over them.”

Inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame two years ago – and climbing the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot – Pedroia is one of the most decorated and admired players in franchise history. He won American League Rookie of the Year in 2007, and AL MVP in 2008. Between ‘08 and ‘14, he was a four-time All-Star and won a Silver Slugger and became the first infielder in franchise history to win as many as four Gold Glove Awards. He has World Series rings for 2007 and 2013.

In just one season in the majors, Durbin is enjoying a small taste of the success Pedroia had early in his career. He finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting last season, and ranked in the 98th MLB Percentile in strikeout rate (K%).

MLB debuted Statcast, and its accompanying percentile rankings, in 2015. Pedroia ranked between the 87th and 99th percentile in K% from 2015-17, the last true seasons of a career cut  short by knee injuries.

Durbin also benefited from sharing a manager with Pedroia. Brewers skipper Pat Murphy was Pedroia’s coach at Arizona State from 2002-04, and the two remain incredibly close. Pedroia has long cited Murphy as someone who pushed him to excel and overcome the low expectations surrounding his physical build.

“Dustin Pedroia, in my 20 years as a head coach, is the best story I’ve been around,” Murphy told the Associated Press’ Dennis Waszak Jr. in May 2004, weeks before the Red Sox drafted Pedroia in the second round.

“He’s the man,” Durbin said of Murphy. “He just embraced me. He embraced my skill set and my size. He pokes a lot of fun at us short guys, but definitely a guy that you knew he had your back.”

“I would ask him a lot of questions (about Pedroia) more than anything,” Durbin said. “He would tell me stories all the time of when he coached him back at ASU. … That was always a cool connection for me; one of my favorite players growing up also played for my coach, so that was always really neat for me.”

Though Durbin debuted with the ‘25 Brewers, he spent most of his minor league career in the organization of Boston’s great rivals. The New York Yankees acquired him from the Atlanta Braves in December ‘22, and traded him to Milwaukee in December ‘24. In between, he spent a good amount of time playing against Red Sox minor league affiliates, with ballparks designed to mimic the big house in Boston.

Like Pedroia, Durbin is looking to prove he can outperform expectations for the Red Sox. He feels his bat will play well in his new home field.

“I’ve always said, I hope I get a chance to play a lot of games at Fenway,” Durbin said. “I’ve always been a good pull-hitter, and obviously like to think that I can use the whole field … but definitely something I’m looking forward to.”

“I played a good amount of games, being from the Yankees, playing at Greenville and Portland three, four series a year, so I definitely have some experience playing with the Monster in left,” he said.

This week has been a whirlwind for Durbin, and it’s barely half over. He arrived in Arizona last week for Brewers spring training, found out about the trade early Monday morning, and landed in Fort Myers on Tuesday night.

Amidst the chaos, Murphy picked up the phone and made a notification.

“He’s texted Pedroia, telling him that I’m coming over,” Durbin said. “Hopefully he’s around, and I get to talk to him a little bit.”

What will Durbin ask Pedroia first?

“I don’t know,” Durbin said, sounding like someone who would be so excited, he wouldn’t know where to begin. “He’s a similar guy, similar profile to me as far as size goes. So a lot of conversations about stuff like that, and how he was able to overcome a lot in his life and be the superstar that he was able to be.”

“I only hope to be a little bit like that,” he said.