People often assume that professional athletes have the most perfect lives in the world, due to their wealth and fame. However, mental health struggles transcend those surface-level concepts, and Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran is no stranger to internal battles.
The 27-year-old opened up about his self-love journey, via Foul Territory.
"I was just looking at every negative thing somebody could say about me" @RedSox stat @DuranJarren discusses his challenges with mental health and how he "came out on top" from a "pretty dark path"
“We all know how humbling this game can be,” Duran said. “I was just looking at every negative thing that someone could say about me. I was telling myself how bad I was every single day, telling myself I don't belong her. It just kind of took me in the offseason to look in the mirror and be like ‘hey man, do you wanna be here anymore? Do you wanna play baseball?' I went down a pretty dark path, but I came out on top and had some close people with me. I told myself ‘I can do this.' I believe in myself enough that i can try and do this.”
Duran struggled his first two seasons after getting drafted in the seventh round by Boston in 2018. The Long Beach State alum hit just .215 and .221 in 2021 and 2022, respectively. His third year was the charm, though, as he hiked his slash line up to .295/346/.482, and he's producing at a similar level this year.
“Obviously, still to this day it's a grind,” he continued. “We have our ups and downs, but it's just going through it, and just trying to love yourself, man, honestly, like that's still something I struggle with today is being proud of myself and telling myself that I'm worth being here. It's been a struggle, but I'm coming out on top and figuring out some things that I need to do. I got really good teammates, coaches, family, friends, a bunch of people supporting me, so that's always a good thing.”
Duran's story is a reminder to not write off promising talent right away. Sometimes, players go through struggles behind closed doors that no one is aware of, as they're not used to opening up about personal issues.
How high will Duran rise as he continues his victory lap?
The Red Sox have a foundational piece in Duran
Duran continues to shine for Boston, as he hit his first walk-off base knock against the Blue Jays Monday night. Duran sounded off on where that moment ranked in the season for him, via MLB.com's Molly Burkhardt.
“I mean, that was my first walk-off, so I’d have to put it at the top,” Duran said. “I just think that was a really good team win. We went down, and we fought back. We never gave up and that’s why I’m so proud of this team. We just did everything right today and just kept it really simple.”
The California native continues to prove that last season wasn't a fluke, and could easily become an All-Star if he continues on this trajectory.
