Jarren Duran looks to minimize mistakes and have fun this season
Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran has been a lightning rod for fans the last couple of seasons.
From his outfield blunder’s last season to people questioning his maturity, Duran needs 2023 to be a big year for him.
Duran spoke with the Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams on Sunday about this upcoming season.
“I’m just trying to be in the moment and see where I’m at. I’m sure I’ll come up with something,” said Duran.
The 26-year-old told McWilliams he fed into the criticism and struggled to block out the noise. As a result, that impacted his play on the field.
“I’m just trying to minimize the big mistakes, and just go out there and just have fun and trust myself and what I can do,” Duran said.
Next month, Duran will take part in the World Baseball Classic, playing for Team Mexico. He will be joined by teammate Alex Verdugo.
For Duran, this will be his first WBC and he’ll be looking to honor his Mexican American heritage. The Calif. native will look at this opportunity to play for Team Mexico to help move forward in his young career.
Manager Alex Cora told McWilliams that Duran is an impactful guy, but his role will likely be diminished.
“I just don’t think you become a bad player in one or two years,” Cora said. “Everybody was praising him two or three years ago about his swing changes. People go through stretches. They slump, or they don’t perform, but the talent is still there. We like the player.
“We added a few guys. And it seems like his role is going to be diminished. But still, we see him as an impactful guy that has made adjustments, and we’ll just let him play and see what happens.”
Cora has been open and honest about Duran, but also hopefully his young outfielder finds his way in the game.
"He's still dynamic," Cora said in January to reporters. "He's still young, he's learning. Last year was a really up-and-down year for him, not only physically on the field, but mentally, and we've been talking to him the whole offseason. He's in a good place. And hopefully, when he goes to spring training, he's ready to rock."
Duran has a few weeks in camp to impress and will look to highlight himself on a bigger stage at the WBC. When he returns to the club, it’s likely he’ll see his season start with Triple-A Worcester.
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