Finding spot for positionless Duran difficult
SURPRISE, Ariz. — It’s awfully hard to find much groundbreaking discussion surrounding the Texas Rangers’ offense this time of year. It was good last year. Scratch that: It was great last year. The lineup will return eight of the nine starters from last year’s playoff run. Everyone is in their theoretical prime or yet to even hit it (see: Carter, Evan). It makes for a relatively easy buildup to the regular season.
That doesn’t mean we can’t ask about one of the few outstanding question marks.
Which aspect of Ezequiel Duran’s play will be of most importance this next month: his hitting or his fielding?
“A little bit of both,” Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Thursday.
For good reasons, and for two reasons. Duran, 24, flashed signs of real-deal hitting ability in 2023. He was described as “uber talented” by teammate Nathaniel Lowe and as a “manager’s dream” by Bochy. He can hit the ball a mile when he squares up on one. He played a significant role in the Rangers’ historic offensive start.
But, back to those two reasons: his present-day and long-term position on the field remain a bit murky, and, last season, the rise and fall of his offensive slash line tended to coincide with his playing time.
“Wherever they put me,” Duran said through an interpreter, Raul Cardenas. “I’m ready to play.”
Excellent.
Now they’ve just got to figure out where, exactly, that may be.
A brief overview of the Rangers’ projected opening day roster (assuming both Corey Seager and Josh Jung have returned from their springtime ailments) suggests that Duran’s playing time will come at designated hitter, in a multi-use backup infield role or, possibly, as a depth option in the outfield. Most likely it’s a combination of each, with an emphasis on the first two.
The Rangers’ infield — which last year racked up three All-star berths, two MVP finalists and a Gold Glove — isn’t hiring for a full-time role anytime soon. The outfield, with Adolis García in right, Leody Taveras in center and some combination of Carter, Travis Jankowski and possibly prospect phenom Wyatt Langford in left, isn’t exactly understaffed either. The designated hitter position is expected to feature a rotating cast.
It’s not all that new of a conundrum. Duran, for periods of the 2023 season, was a promising bat without a permanent home. His most consistent playing time came in the months of April and May after shortstop after Corey Seager pulled a hamstring and landed himself on the injured list for 31 games. Duran slashed .303/ .339/.532 as Seager’s substitute, but his output tailed off significantly after the eventual World Series MVP returned. More on that shortly.
Using outs above average as a reference, Duran was a plus defender last season only at shortstop (where he was a plus-2 OAA defender). In both left field (where he played his second-most innings) and at third, he was a minus-2. Bochy said that Duran’s exhibition usage will be similar to last spring’s: lots of movement, lots of reps. In 26 spring training games last year, he played third base (58 innings), left field (282⁄3 innings), shortstop (27 innings), second base (11 innings) and right field (one inning). Expect him to get even more work on the left side while Seager and Jung are sidelined.
He did not, however, take any exhibition reps at designated hitter. Expect that to change this spring.
“You look at the DH spot, we’re going to try to have our best DH there,” Bochy said. “But I’ve always felt that it’s so important for these guys to get the reps defensively … with Zeke, he’s going to get moved around when he does (play), that’s why it’s so important for him to get those reps out there.”
Duran played 21 games at designated hitter last season and slashed .269/.349/.439. His OPS (.787) in the designated hitter role mirrored the teamwide OPS (.787) at the position shared largely by he, Robbie Grossman and Mitch Garver. In fact, it was even higher than his OPS in games that he’d played as a fielder (.760).
Consider him a candidate for the job alongside Langford and infield prospect Justin Foscue, who expressed his adoration for the position this winter.
“You’re not on the field, it’s kind of hard to stay consistent,” Duran said of the DH role. “You’re always paying attention to what goes on during the game and to always be ready to prepare yourself for that next at bat all the time, but I’m going to do whatever it takes to help the team win.” Again, excellent.
Now, the other thing. Which iteration of Duran is closest to the real Duran? The one that hit .308, slugged .526 and bashed 12 booming home runs as Seager’s injury fill-in before the All-star break? Or the one that slashed .226/.295/.314 with two second-half home runs after the All-star break, when his role transitioned from everyday starter to something closer to a platoon?
Duran said Thursday that a lack of consistent playing time wasn’t an acceptable excuse for his drop in production. The numbers suggest his struggles could be attributed to issues with high fastballs (which generated a 43% strikeout rate against him in last year’s second half) and an overaggressive approach (he swung at 30% of “chase” pitches thrown at him and batted .100 against them). It zapped his electrifying power and, eventually, kept him off of the playoff roster until García’s World Series oblique strain.
“There was nothing particular, that’s just kind of how baseball goes,” Duran said. “It wasn’t what I wanted, but things like that happen in baseball, it’s a hard game. I’m just continuing to work and trying to get back to where I was.”
The Rangers would certainly appreciate that.
First, they’ve got to figure out where they’ll use him