Mike Scioscia Identifies Similarity Between Jarren Duran, Mike Trout

Time will tell if Jarren Duran develops into a star at the Major League Baseball level.

But at the very minimum, the Boston Red Sox prospect has the drive to reach those heights.

Duran has been a busy man over the last month-plus, as he’s spent time with both the Worcester Red Sox and Team USA, which clinched an Olympic berth in May. Duran’s manager with the national team, Mike Scioscia, has been impressed with what he’s seen from the 24-year-old outfielder, who the former Los Angeles Angels skipper believes possesses an attribute similar to what he saw in three-time American League MVP Mike Trout.

“I think one similarity is their desire to be as good as they can be,” Scioscia told Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald. “That was certainly Mike and continues to be Mike, the way that he is now. He’s the best player in baseball. I think Jarren has that same focus and desire to be as good as he can be. You never really know where a player’s career is going to go, but I think it’s very easy to be very excited about Jarren’s tools and where he is now.”

Trout isn’t the first superstar-caliber player that Duran has drawn comparisons to. The names of Jacoby Ellsbury and Grady Sizemore, each of whom briefly was among the most complete players in baseball for a time, have also been thrown around when trying to draw up projections for the 24-year-old outfielder.

In other words, plenty of excitement surrounds Duran who, with some polishing and more development, has a chance to be a five-tool player in the big leagues. But that opportunity likely is a ways down the road for Duran, as the Red Sox appear to be comfortable with their plan of taking it slow with the 2018 seventh-rounder.