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Red Sox ask prospect Jarren Duran to come out of his shell, rely on his speed in 2022

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Sitting in the dugout around proven MLB superstars like J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers proved something to Jarren Duran.

He’s human.

And while Duran now admits he lost himself in the lights and intimidation of the big league environment during his debut season in 2021, often making himself small and dimming his personality to appease those around him, he thinks it might’ve been a mistake.

In camp this spring and trying to win a big league job, Duran is being reminded by his coaches that he needs to come out of his shell.

“I came in when we were kind of struggling and not doing super hot, so I just tried to sit back and observe instead of asking too many questions,” he said Thursday after going 1-for-3 with an infield single in the Sox’ first Grapefruit League game of the year, a 14-1 win over the Twins. “These guys have so much on their plate, the last thing I want to do is be that annoying rookie who is like, ‘Oh, I have so many questions.’ I can see how that would bother them.”

Playing loose was a big reason why he felt successful prior to his big league debut. He crushed the ball during winter league, again at the Olympics and continued to be successful in Triple-A Worcester.

But when he arrived in Boston in late July, Duran looked like a different player. He couldn’t control the strike zone, struggled to make contact and struck out a remarkable 40 times in 112 plate appearances.

“I learned a lot, honestly,” he said. “I’m my hardest critic. I tore myself up. I had a tough offseason dealing with how I thought I was and how I am as a player. But I got through it mentally. Just trying to build. Last year I knew that wasn’t who I am or who I want to be, so I did some self-talk and found motivation in the offseason to think how I am as a player again.”

During his offseason reflection, Duran realized he was unusually quiet during his time in the big leagues.

“Well, I would go back and hang out with some college kids, my old college, and my high school friends and we talked so much (expletive) to each other and I was like, ‘I miss this. I miss doing this, just chirping with the guys, having fun,’” he said. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is what it was like when I was younger, why aren’t I still doing this?’ It was eye-opening to hang with the young guys and just messing around, talking (expletive), having fun. It opened my eyes again that these guys are enjoying it and I’m taking it like a job. Why am I doing that? I should just go out and have fun.”

Duran muted himself off the field, but also looked like he lacked energy on the field.

“One thing I told him for this season is we want the energetic kid we see on Instagram and in Worcester,” manager Alex Cora said. “It’s part of his equation. It’s part of what he does. I think last year he was very careful being himself. One of the things about our club is we don’t care. Just do whatever you have to do to be a good big leaguer and he needs to play with energy.”

Said Duran, “It’s very hard to do as a rookie.”

He has too much potential for the Sox to give up on him now.

A seventh-round pick out of California State University in 2018, Duran quickly started to look like a diamond in the rough. With once-in-a-decade speed, he hit a remarkable .357 with 11 triples and 24 stolen bases in just 67 games during his first minor league season. He hit .303 with 46 steals in 2019 and was in position to enter 2020 with a chance at making a run at the big league roster.

The pandemic ruined those chances, but Duran took the time to get stronger and change his swing. When he returned to action, it was clear he had become more of a power hitter than a player who relies on speed.

The Red Sox would like to see him return to being a dynamic player who changes the game with his legs. Cora asked him to bunt more and told him he’d buy him dinner if he dropped a bunt down Thursday. Duran tried, but the pitch was outside.

“He saved me money,” Cora joked.

Said Duran, “AC always reminds me that my legs are a big tool and bunting is huge. I used to work on bunting. At the pro level, it’s hard. Guys play you in. They know you. They know you more than you know you sometimes. I think trying to use it in certain situations will be good for me.”

The left-handed hitting Duran has an uphill battle to make the Opening Day roster, as the Sox already have Alex Verdugo, Kiké Hernandez and Jackie Bradley Jr. in the outfield, and all three hit left-handed (though Hernandez is a switch-hitter). Duran could either be a useful option off the bench or start the year in Worcester.

“I’m just looking to go out and have fun and do my thing,” he said. “Wherever they put me is where they need me.”



from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/eqCQbVJ
Red Sox ask prospect Jarren Duran to come out of his shell, rely on his speed in 2022 Red Sox ask prospect Jarren Duran to come out of his shell, rely on his speed in 2022 Reviewed by Admin on March 17, 2022 Rating: 5

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