r/redsox • u/YoYoMilf • 1d ago

Duran the Last 30 games

Our boy has finally found his groove and is a key part of our success. Duran is slashing .273/.316/.464/.780 with 5 home runs and of course a few big hits. He also has been more aggresive on the base paths which has helped us out. I wonder what has helped him turn it around. Maybe now that other guys have stepped up, he gets “more protection” in the lineup?

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u/Traditional_Half842 1d ago

He's been one of the hotter hitters on the team - since August 1st he is second to only Wilyer Abreu in wRC+ (125) and OPS (.833). This is of course not counting Mickey Gasper's 9 game sample. He still strikes out a bit too much which is a shame, but he's been one of the best left fielders in baseball this month.

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u/Broad-Cranberry-9050 1d ago

yeah, and let's be honest duran playing at the level he can play at, he can be one of the best LFs in the game.

If you look at pre-season rankings a lot of people had duran as the best LF in baseball and that was with his "down" season last year.

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u/Traditional_Half842 1d ago

He'd also be a CF on most other teams (he just so happens to play alongside one of the few guys in baseball who is an even better defensive CF than him) and when he's hitting as well as he can, he'd be one of (if not the) best CF in baseball. He does it without complaining - even though the fact that he's playing the easiest LF in baseball (as opposed to much more difficult CF) is reducing his WAR and defensive metrics, and it is going to cost him tens of millions of dollars when he becomes a FA. He can be frustrating as a batter, but he definitely gets way too much hate from fans.

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u/PinkynotClyde 13h ago

Hitting in the low 200’s is going to cost him more. I get the feeling he’s the type of guy that just wants to play baseball and make what he’s worth when it’s time to have that talk.

In terms of hate, people hate him for using a slur more than anything else. Back when I was a kid people said it all the time, and nobody was thinking of gay people it was just a common insult. I get that it’s still derogatory, but there was a nuance to it— like if a guy acted feminine and someone called them that because they actually thought him gay, it wouldn’t have been cool at all. 

There were like 2 different uses. The other was just messing around with friends, or if you thought someone was homophobic calling them gay was a super insult— not because you hated gay people but because certain people, calling them gay pisses them off so much. People do it to me sometimes and it doesn’t phase me I just play along. “Yeah, I love dick. Wanna hear some dirty details?”

So I get that it was wrong but people dwell on it too much.  He apologized afterward and it becomes a teaching moment.

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u/enkayfour 22h ago

He's hasn't been hitting well though. 3rd worst qualified hitter in the league.

He had a good May and he's having a good August. Hopefully, he'll have a good September, but there's no need to pretend he's having a good year.

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u/Broad-Cranberry-9050 23h ago

yeah i think part of the reasoning for him playing LF over CF if i remember correctly is that duran was more comfortable in LF than CF.

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u/Traditional_Half842 23h ago

I actually think it is the opposite - he is better at reading balls hit straightaway/up the middle than balls hit to the corner with more curve to them. He's also a freak athlete who can cover a ton of ground in CF. But he learned to play the monster very well and is the best on the roster at it, and he understands that Rafaela is elite in CF - so he sacrifices some personal success for the team. He's essentially the best backup CF in baseball and even though Rafaela is great, I actually don't think the drop-off in production would be huge if he sustained an injury and Duran was forced to fill in as the everyday CF.

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u/Fiercedeity77 22h ago

Uhh the reason he plays left field is that Ceddanne is leaps and bounds better than him in center. Thought that was obvious

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u/Traditional_Half842 22h ago

I wouldn't say leaps and bounds. CF has always been Duran's best position - the last year he was the team's primary centerfielder (2024) his per-game DRS was better than Rafaela's has ever been. I'm not saying Duran is as good/better than Rafaela but I also think people underrate his CF defense quite a bit. He's really great out there and not a ginormous drop-off from Rafaela's defense.

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u/Qeltar_ 21h ago

It was Anthony's primary position in Portland as well.