Jarren Duran continues to be the sparkplug the Red Sox need at the top of the lineup.
Duran continued his breakout season from 2023, currently hitting .269 with a .794 OPS. As advertised, his speed keeps giving the Red Sox a dynamic layer to the offense. He leads the league with 10 triples while going 15-for-18 in stolen base attempts.
Duran truly is the model player for a specific area of the modern game after recent MLB rule changes made bigger bases, the pitch clock and limited mound disengagements. That’s a paradise for speedsters and provides the Red Sox with quite the offensive weapon.
“We needed to take advantage,” Alex Cora told reporters on Thursday. “We needed to catch up with the industry. We were very slow the last two years. Not only offensively but defensively too. It’s fun to manage this way. Obviously, we’re going to run into outs. That’s part of it. The (Cincinnati) Reds do that, and the (Washington) Nationals. We’ve been OK at being efficient in certain times.”
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Duran is Boston’s catalyst for a more athletic style of play to pressure opponents. The Red Sox currently ranks fifth in the American League in stolen bases. The 2024 squad is younger and faster, giving Cora plenty of options for the Red Sox to piece together opportunities.
