Fourteen days ago, Jarren Duran made his highly anticipated MLB debut. The 24-year-old has been one of the Red Sox’s most-watched prospects after hitting .321 in three minor league seasons. Through his first eight games in the majors, however, Duran has not made the same impact. While the Red Sox outfielder has struggled, he has also shown some positive signs.
Starting off slowly
Through 12 games, Duran is hitting .158. The California native does have six hits, including three that went for extra bases. He also has hit one home run and has four runs batted in. Although Duran’s power has been on display at times, he has also struggled to get on base. In 38 at-bats, the Red Sox third-best prospect has struck out 15 times. Despite his high strikeout totals, the Red Sox have not lost confidence.
During Duran’s first two weeks in the majors, he has shown flashes of his talent. On Wednesday night, he electrified the Fenway crowd with a line drive into the right-field gap. The California native rounded the bases on what appeared to be an inside-the-park home run. The official scorer changed the play to a triple as George Springer bobbled the ball while Duran was rounding second. He was able to display his speed, which will be crucial down the stretch.
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While Duran still has to wait for his laundry cart ride, he produced one of the seasons’ top highlights. As the Red Sox make their playoff push, they hope it is the first of many. Duran is still adjusting to the majors, but he will need to cut down on his strikeouts. He has forced two walks but only produced a .195 on-base percentage.
On Wednesday, however, Duran left his teammates, including Tanner Houck, in amazement. When asked about Duran’s triple, Houck said, “I’ve always known he was definitely the fastest guy on the field at every point of the game. Seeing that was truly something I don’t think you’ll see again for a while. ”
As the Red Sox look to secure a division title, they will need more of Duran’s game-changing speed. So far in the majors, his speed and power at times have been on display. As he becomes more comfortable at the major league level, his consistency should improve. For an offense that has been one of the best in baseball, a consistent Duran will only make it more dangerous.
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Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
