Red Sox Coach Praises Development Of Jarren Duran, Masataka Yoshida

Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida have been the early highlights of the Boston Red Sox season, and their efforts have not been lost on the coaching staff.

The former had a mixed 2022 season and had a lot to prove heading into 2023. He’s proven himself to be a valuable member of the lineup, batting .292/.340/.467 in 38 games. It’s a rise first base coach and outfield instructor Kyle Hudson has seen in practice.

“It’s been an amazing thing to watch,” Hudson told NESN’s Tom Caron on the “TC & Company Podcast.” “Obviously, I watched it from afar, a little bit, last year. Being able to see him up and close and see the intent and the effort he has in his work everyday, it’s no surprise he’s improving as much as he is because he comes out every single day with the intent of getting better. And you’re seeing that translate to game, and we gotta understand he’s an infielder transitioning to the outfield, and he’s trying to do that at the major-league level. And that’s not and easy thing to do. You’re seeing the progression, the confidence up, the ability to get jumps, the ability to read the balls and take better routes to the ball. You’re seeing that play out in the games, and that’s a testament to the work.”

Yoshida had the hype from the World Baseball Classic, and the Red Sox were confident his skills from Nippon Professional Baseball could translate to Major League Baseball. That has proven to be the case through 47 games with a .317 batting average, along with seven home runs and 31 RBIs, which are second on the team.

“You’re starting to see him, he’s getting comfortable,” Hudson said. “He’s getting comfortable with the surroundings. He’s getting comfortable with the new fields. He’s getting comfortable with the surface because all he’s ever played on really is turf in Japan. He played on that a lot, so he’s still used to the surface and everything else. But again, it’s a testament to his diligence with his work. Every single day when he’s out there, he’s working on it.

“… He’s going to continue to improve. Obviously, the physical tools, at times, can be limited in terms of speed and all that, but he made a couple of good plays (Tuesday). He’s gonna make the routine plays, the right decision, and that’s all we can ask for.”

Manager Alex Cora noted Boston could use more improvements on the defensive end, which it will have to find a way without outside help, but what’s become clear in the early months of the season is the Red Sox offense can help shoulder the load to keep the team in the American League East race.