Jarren Duran hasn’t played an inning in Boston this season, but he’s certainly gaining the attention of manager Alex Cora and the Red Sox brass.
Duran, playing with Triple-A Worcester, has been clearing the bases at a rapid rate lately. You may have seen some of his blasts like the one Saturday, Tuesday or, most recently, Thursday. Yeah, it’s fair to say the speedy outfielder has proven his power at the plate, as his most recent blast measured 440 feet.
Duran has impressed not only MLB.com, but also the person he soon hopes to play for.
“He’s a strong individual. He’s that strong,” Cora said during a pregame video conference Friday before the Red Sox host the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park. “He’s a big kid. It just happens that he’s very fast.”
The 24-year-old Duran started the season 0-for-11 with six strikeouts in his first three games, but has bounced back in a big way. He’s since gone 11-for-24 with four homers, eight runs and six RBIs in the past six games.
“He’s doing a good job down there,” Cora said. “There’s a few things that he keeps improving. Catching up with fastballs is very important, catching up with fastballs up in the zone in very important, being disciplined with breaking balls down in the zone is very important.
“I know a lot people are excited about what he’s doing. We are too.” Cora added. “But, obviously, there’s an advantage of him getting at-bats and playing every day, going out there and (playing) defense. So far he’s been great, and we’re very happy with the progress.”
So while Red Sox fans may hope to see Duran in Boston sometime in the near future, it seems the organization is content with letting his development continue in Central Mass.
