Jarren Duran is playing his way onto the Red Sox 26-man roster
Jarren Duran looks to have found his identity with the Red Sox as a hitter during spring training as he has gotten off to a red hot start showcasing his power stroke. The former 2018 seventh-round draft pick came into 2021 projected as the club’s fourth-ranked prospect. With his mixture of athleticism in centerfield and stellar presence in the batter’s box.
He has always had the potential to become a promising prospect. Now we are witnessing it with our own eyes that he can be an extremely special player, and he might just convince Alex Cora to put him on the Opening Day roster if he keeps up this type of production.
The 24-year-old is currently hitting an impressive .500 batting average along with two home runs, three runs scored, three runs batted in, and one walk. In the games that he has started so far, he has been batting out of the two spot and manning centerfield. Maybe Alex Verdugo will not have to play center for long and could slide back into his normal role at rightfield.
His numbers in the minors suggest that this may not be a fluke and we could be looking at a future stud for years to come. Do we still miss JBJ? In 199 career games in the minors, he supports a .322 average with eight home runs, 73 runs batted in, 142 runs scored, and 70 stolen bases.
The home run numbers are certainly not something to brag about but during the spring it’s clear that he has made the necessary adjustments to have the ability to hit for power. He has swagger every time he touches the field and showcases a great build at 6 foot 2, 212 pounds. You can see the confidence he has as both a hitter and a fielder. It is rare to see this from somebody at his age.
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It is still unlikely that the Red Sox decide to place him on the Opening Day roster, but if he keeps it up they may not have a choice. We cannot pretend that their outfield is surrounded by studs outside of Verdugo. This would be the perfect time for the team to showcase their young talent and give the fan base hope for the future. Duran along with Bobby Dalbec who both have been playing tremendous early on in the spring could be unique assets as rookies.
Just the about what the Red Sox have in the works for the near future with Verdugo, Dalbec, and now Duran ready to take over. As we continue to see this team get younger and turn the page to the next chapter, it’s safe to say that Boston has a very bright future that only seems to be getting brighter. With Alex Cora back at the helm for the Red Sox, moving to a younger core of talent could be the perfect combination that brings another championship to Fenway Park.
We should continue to watch Duran closely because everything you have seen so far shows that he has what it takes to be an everyday starting centerfielder in this league. Perhaps Chaim Bloom knew it all along that they had a hidden gem with Duran. We should continue to trust this process and enjoy the ride and expect Duran to have a lot to do with the success of the new regime they are bringing in.