Third time has been the charm for Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran this season. Duran credits his turnaround to a fiery NSFW message from Red Sox legend Dustin Pedroia.
Pedroia worked with Duran on his swing over spring training. As he watched him in the cage, Pedroia wanted Duran to get mad, via Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
“Put your hands up like you're ready to f***ing hit me,” Pedroia said.
Duran didn't view them as fighting words however. The outfielder was inspired and used Pedroia's lessons to show massive improvement on the diamond in 2023.
“He basically just told me, get your hands up, be athletic, act like you're going to hit the f***ing s**t out of the ball,” Duran said. “For him to say that to me, I was like, ‘Hell yeah. I'm going to buy in.”
The former top prospect has appeared in 21 games thus far this season. Duran is hitting .360 with two home runs, 13 RBI and five stolen bases. He is leading the team in batting average, stolen bases and on-base percentage (.405).
Last season, Jarren Duran appeared in 58 games – his highest at the MLB level. However, he struggled, hitting .221 with three home runs, 17 RBI and seven stolen bases.
In less than half that time, Duran has almost matched last season's numbers. He has been a catalyst for Boston's offense in the wake of Adam Duvall's injury.
Dustin Pedroia knows a thing or two about succeeding with the Red Sox. After lighting a spark under him, Pedroia is seeing the fruits of his labor pay off in Duran's breakout season.
Follow Us
Subscribe