Duran proving to be a ‘menace on the base paths’ so far
OAKLAND, Calif. — Jarren Duran ran a one-man track meet at Rickey Henderson Field Monday night.
In evident homage to the Athletics great who owns both the career and single-season records for stolen bases, Duran singled in each of the first three innings and almost immediately swiped second each time, in a 9-0 Red Sox trouncing of Oakland.
“He’s a menace on the base paths,” pronounced teammate Tanner Houck.
Not only did Duran match a careerhigh in steals in a game with three, he also became the first player in Red Sox history to swipe five bags through the first five games of a season. There is satisfaction in such exploits, as he views speed as the primary tool of his baseball identity.
“Being able to cause havoc for the guys behind me is always a good thing,” said Duran. “Every time I get on the bases, I’m looking to cause havoc, run in guys’ faces, make guys fumble the ball running down the line.”
Presumably, Duran isn’t going to sustain the steal-per-game pace. But on a night when he was a blur, it was hard not to wonder where the limits of possibility lie. How many bases is Duran capable of stealing?
“Sky’s the limit,” pronounced Houck. Fine sentiment, but too vague. How about a number?
“I’m pretty sure we said 50, something like that — setting the bar high,” said Red Sox third base coach Kyle Hudson. “He has the ability to do it.”
That’s a big number. After all, Duran stole a solid but not eye-popping 24 bases in 102 games last year before suffering a foot injury that required surgery. That’s a 38-steal pace.
That said, Duran determined to take his baserunning to another level this year. His auspicious start opens the door.
There have been 30 instances since the introduction of the 162-game schedule in 1961 of a player stealing five bases in the first five games of a season. The average full-season total after those starts was 54 — with 20 on the low end and Henderson’s record 130 in 1982 at the upper.
As Hudson contemplated those precedents, he started recalculating the goal that he and Duran had set prior to the season.
“I think he can do more [than 50]. I definitely think he can do more,” said Hudson. “That was just kind of the bar we set.
“Actually, I might have even set it higher than that.”
What about Jacoby Ellsbury’s Red Sox record of 70 in 2009?
“I think he has more than enough ability to do that,” said Hudson. “Staying healthy and all that type stuff plays into it, but he has the ability to do it, because when he gets over there, he does a really good job of understanding what the pitcher is doing. He does a really good job of not wasting pitches.”
What about even loftier goals? What about triple digits? No one in baseball has stolen that many since hypersonic Cardinals leadoff hitter Vince Coleman stole 109 in 1987 (he had seven through the first five games).
“That’s a high bar,” said Hudson. “To be honest with you, in today’s game, it’s not easy.”
That said, Hudson declined to define an upper boundary, noting that rule changes instituted in 2023 — limited pitcher disengagements and throws to first, as well as a pitch clock that at times makes it easier to time deliveries — produced an explosion of stolen bases. Atlanta superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. swiped 73 bags, becoming the first player since Ellsbury in 2009 to steal at least 70.
Teams are aware that the upper limits have moved, and players like Duran are poised to take advantage if they can get on base at a reasonable clip and stay healthy.
“It’s coming back into the game,” said Hudson.
Of course, steals themselves are less important than what they accomplish. That’s measured not only in an extra 90 feet (or sometimes 180, when catchers throw errantly, as Oakland’s Shea Langeliers did Monday) but also in the distraction and confusion that a player like Duran can engender on the bases.
Hudson also noted that Duran’s running impact isn’t limited to stealing bases. Already this year, Duran has advanced three times on wild pitches when he got excellent reads — an area of emphasis for a Red Sox team that acknowledges it may be short on power.
“I’m more proud of the dirt-ball reads than I am the stolen bases,” said Hudson, “because the thing about the dirt-ball reads is that guys are breaking before the ball gets to the dirt. It’s something that we talk about.
“It’s something we talked about today — continuing to develop an identity. That identity is, we’re going to put pressure on the defense and on the bases. Teams are going to have to prepare for us because we’re athletic, and we can get around the bases.”
There will be times, of course, when that approach backfires — when the Sox run into costly outs or create self-inflicted havoc. Duran’s dance down the thirdbase line in the second game of the season, when Triston Casas seemed vexed while anticipating a steal of home, perhaps contributing to a strikeout, offered one such instance.
But for now, Duran has become a catalyzing presence, and the Red Sox have little intention of subduing him.
“We’re going to push the envelope as a group,” said manager Alex Cora. “And he’s the leader.”