The Boston Red Sox have been high on Jarren Duran, but his experiences in 2022 were mostly forgettable.
He missed a lot of training camp because he played for Mexico at the World Baseball Classic, which was one of the reasons why began the season with the Worcester Woo Sox in Triple-A. Adam Duvall’s recent injury you could say opened the door for Boston’s seventh-round selection in the 2018 Draft and the 26-year-old appears to be turning a corner.
Last season, he looked like a young player who had a lot of pressure on him when he was in the big leagues. He lost a routine fly-ball against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park that led to an inside-the-park grand slam. He struggled at the plate, looking lost, and guessing on pitches. That has not been the case recently.
Jarren Duran lost the ball and let up an inside-the-park grand slam for the Blue Jays 😨 @BRWalkoff
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 23, 2022
(via @Sportsnet)pic.twitter.com/3XgIw6oKUu
During the Red Sox’s recent homestand, he was looking a lot better at the plate and driving the ball and got rewarded. He doubled in four straight games that began in the four-game series final against Los Angeles on Monday, then in all three games against the Minnesota Twins where Boston took two out of three games. He capped the series with a two-run double in the third inning for a 7-0 lead in an 11-5 victory.
In a 5-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers Friday night, he drove in the game-winning run with an infield single in the sixth inning.
It’s not only his work at the plate, but it’s his work on the bases. He is quick and a threat whenever he’s on the bases. Some might compare him to a young Jacoby Ellsbury back when he was with the Red Sox. I’m not saying he is going to be Ellsbury, but there is a lot of Ellsbury in him when you watch him in center field, at the plate, and especially on the bases, which was there was a lot of frustration with Duran’s 2022 season.
It’s just been four games, but Duran is looking like the player the Red Sox hoped he would. His changes over the winter at the plate are evident in his new stance and his swing is better, his contact is better and he’s seeing the ball better.
The Red Sox hope he’s turning the corner in his development and ready to take on the center field position full-time as early as next season when he’ll be 27 years old. This is what should be considered a bridge year for Boston with no expectations of making the playoffs. Could they? Absolutely, but if they don’t, Duran turning into the player they need is what Chaim Bloom, Alex Cora, and the Red Sox need.