Even if he hasn’t fully replicated a breakout 2024 campaign, Jarren Duran remains one of the game’s premier left fielders.
Duran continues to wreak havoc in the Boston Red Sox lineup, batting .261/.336/.451 with 12 home runs and 20 stolen bases. His 3.2 WAR on FanGraphs ranks third at the position behind Kyle Stowers and Cody Bellinger.
MLB Network recognized Duran when releasing its midseason update for baseball’s top-10 left fielders. Duran, who placed second behind Yordan Alvarez in the offseason list, fell to third behind burgeoning young superstars James Wood and Riley Greene.
“The Shredder” kept Duran above two former MVPs in Christian Yelich and Bellinger, who round out the top five. The injured Alvarez plunged to 10th.
Duran might have lost some ground if MLB Network revisited its rankings after he hit .210 in June. However, the 28-year-old responded with a scorching .317/.411/.683 slash line in July.
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Last year’s All-Star Game MVP has a .939 OPS after the break with help from 15 extra-base hits and an elevated 14.5 percent walk rate. Duran has steep splits in 2025, enjoying most of his success against righties (.886 OPS to .583 vs. LHP) and at Fenway Park (.880 home OPS to .692 road OPS).
Along with his offensive contributions, Duran has delivered seven defensive runs saved in left field. Yet MLB Network may have to recategorize him in next year’s rankings, as he’s recently seen more time in center with Ceddanne Rafaela playing second base.
If that’s the case, another Boston player could climb up the ranks. Roman Anthony is quickly cementing himself as one of MLB’s most prolific left fielders.
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Featured image via Eric Canha/Imagn Images
