Does the acquisition of Jackie Bradley Jr. complicate Jarren Duran’s path back to Boston?
Red Sox prospect Jarren Duran has aspirations of returning to the major-league club next season. However the acquisition of Jackie Bradley Jr. makes Duran’s path back to Boston a bit more complicated.
The 25-year-old outfielder had a brief stint in the majors last season. Duran played 33 games with Boston hitting .215 with two home runs and driving in 10 runs. The rookie struggled to adjust to big league pitching. Duran struck out 40 times in 112 plate appearances.
In order for Duran to remain on a big league roster, he’ll have to cut down on the strikeouts.
Back in early August, manager Alex Cora talked about Duran and his approach at the plate.
“On the field, he’s been good defensively,” Cora said to the Boston Herald. “He’s done a good job with that. Obviously we talk about the swing-and-misses, but I think there’s always an adjustment period. I think the No. 1 prospect in baseball went through struggles early on – (Wander) Franco in Tampa – and now you see him kind of like, OK, he feels comfortable doing what he’s doing. In our case, you see the power, you see the speed. Obviously we’ve got to keep talking about him, in certain situations, we have to make contact, like everybody here with this team. But so far it’s been solid. We like what we see and we know he’s going to contribute.”
In order for Duran to get any consistency, he will need at-bats. Duran will be able to get those consistent at-bats at Triple-A Worcester.
Bradley throws a wrench into things regarding Duran. Despite Bradley hitting .163 last season, he is an outstanding defender and that’s the main reason he’s back in Boston. The Red Sox acquired Bradley and prospects from the Brewers for Hunter Renfroe.
Bringing Bradley back wasn’t about adding his glove and bat to the lineup. It was about adding the two prospects Boston received from the Brewers. The trade is similar to the one the Red Sox swung with the Yankees last offseason. The Red Sox acquired Adam Ottavino and Frank German, in the process retaining Ottavino’s salary. Boston bought German and one year later they bought the Brewers prospects.
Duran will likely be on the outside looking in because him and Bradley are left-handed batters.
The Red Sox have seen their young hitters struggle at the plate when they first get called up.
In his first 18 games with the Red Sox, Dustin Pedroia struggled. The former AL MVP hit hit .122 with one home run and two RBIs after he came up late in 2006. Even Mookie Betts struggled when he was first called up. Betts was called up in 2014, hit .228 with one homer and two RBIs in his first 18 games.
Duran is putting in the work at the gym this offseason. In a recent Instagram video, Duran is seen doing six bar muscle ups at Rise Above Fitness in Huntington Beach, California.
Prior to last season, Cora said Duran was in the best shape out of anyone at camp. He also called Duran a “gym freak.” Duran’s physique shows he puts the work in off the field. If he wants to get onto the field for Boston, he’ll need to focus on cutting down his strikeouts.