Sox not rushing Duran
4 homers in last 6 games with WooSox
At the dawn of the minor league season last week, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said that top outfield prospect Jarren Duran would show him how soon he could be ready for a major league call-up by how well he performed over the course of the Triple-A season.
It’s just nine games in, but Duran is already starting to knock on the door with some exciting performances in Worcester that certainly have to be garnering Bloom’s attention.
Two days after homering twice in front of Bloom in the
home opener at Polar Park, Duran continued his power surge with a moonshot in Worcester’s 7-4 win over Syracuse on Thursday night, a 440-foot blast over the right-field wall that the center fielder took a moment to admire before rounding the bases.
“Felt pretty good,” Duran said modestly afterward.
That might be understating how he’s performed over the last week. After starting his Triple-A career hitless in his first three games, Duran is 11-for-24 with four homers in his last six, a product he said of not doing too much at the plate.
Whatever it is, the results
are coming. And he’s showing that the newfound power he showcased at the alternate site in Pawtucket last year, when the minor league season was canceled due to COVID-19, is no fluke, as he’s translated it loudly into real competition.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora has certainly been paying attention. He likes what he sees but knows there’s more work for Duran to do.
“I know a lot of people are excited about what he’s doing,” Cora said Friday. “We are, too, but obviously there’s an advantage of him getting at-bats and playing every day and going out there and playing defense. So far, he’s been great. We’re very happy with the progress.”
Thursday’s blast was a sign of how far he’s come with his power, as he turned on an inside 95 mph fastball for the no-doubt homer.
“I just think that I’m able to get to that pitch now, because before it was kind of like a struggle for me to get to the inside pitch and now I have a different path,” Duran said. “So it’s more clean and fluid to get to those pitches. …
“It still feels like I’m working. Some days I feel good on the inside, some days I don’t feel good. It’s a daily battle. It’s just baseball, working on your swing every day. But yeah, it does feel better.”
Though fans may clamor for a call-up sooner than later, Bloom will be practicing patience with Duran as
he continues to put in that work. Though his highlightreel homers will certainly generate excitement, the Red Sox don’t want to overreact. And they want to see him continue developing with his outfield defense.
The 24-year-old’s time is certainly coming. The spotlight is firmly on him, even if the 2018 seventh-round pick who has blossomed into one of the Red Sox’ top prospects isn’t totally comfortable with the attention yet.
“I kind of like being a non-prospect, because people don’t expect a lot out of you,” Duran said. “Not being a prospect to start, you just work your butt off as much as you can and then things come your way with hard work. I just worked hard, did the right things,
played hard, do what I need to do and things go your way.”
Ohtani returns to Fenway
Though the Angels come to Fenway Park with a sub-.500 record this weekend, the Red Sox will have a front-row seat to two of the most exciting talents in the baseball world.
Mike Trout is back in town for the first time since 2019, but the superstar who many consider the best in the game may not even generate the most attention. That would go to twoway star Shohei Ohtani, who’s been lighting up the majors at the plate and on the mound this season. Though he’s not expected to pitch this weekend, the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year
will be a must-watch at the top of the Angels’ lineup.
Cora has had a blast watching Ohtani, who has a fastball that reaches triple digits and a power stroke that has him entering the three-game series with 10 home runs, tied for second most in the AL.
“What Ohatani’s doing in front of the mound and as a position player is fun to watch from afar and this is good for the sport,” Cora said. “He’s that good, both sides. It seems like the sport stops to watch him. He’s been great. …
“He’s so unique. He can run, he can hit for power, it seems like he’s a great guy. We’ve talked about the market. It seems like it fits him. And he’s very comfortable over there and I think it’s a plus for the game.”