Seriously, even with the ugly game yesterday, this had to be confidence booster tonight. That is a really, really good team (and what the Sox aspire to be in a few years).I'll take a split on the road in a World Series preview
Not too sure he can throw, but those arms sure look bigger.Does Duran's arm look a little better this year?
Oh yeah, for sure. I thought they should dump him to open up a roster spot. Honestly, of all the disagreements this off-season, the board seemed pretty much in agreement regarding Duran.I freely admit that I thought Duran was a total non-prospect after last season. Love to be wrong on that one
I agree. But it was also showing the league that this Sox team shouldn't be taken lightly. And tonight it wasn't just offense. The pitching was lights fucking out.Seriously, even with the ugly game yesterday, this had to be confidence booster tonight. That is a really, really good team (and what the Sox aspire to be in a few years).
LOL, you're right. I don't remember a whole lot of pro-Duran posts.Oh yeah, for sure. I thought they should dump him to open up a roster spot. Honestly, of all the disagreements this off-season, the board seemed pretty much in agreement regarding Duran.
I wonder if there had been any trade market to speak of if he’s still here.Oh yeah, for sure. I thought they should dump him to open up a roster spot. Honestly, of all the disagreements this off-season, the board seemed pretty much in agreement regarding Duran.
Hell, I'm not even sure I made one.LOL, you're right. I don't remember a whole lot of pro-Duran posts.
I believe the children are our future.Bello, Duran and Casas won this one. Nice.
The bullpen was pretty great tooBello, Duran and Casas won this one. Nice.
The single he turned into a double just by running fast was kind of incredible.I freely admit that I thought Duran was a total non-prospect after last season. Love to be wrong on that one
He is crazy fastThe single he turned into a double just by running fast was kind of incredible.
This is as glowing as I got...Hell, I'm not even sure I made one.
I mean, one can be skeptical about Duran's future & very skeptical that he would be useful player in '23, but tons of players develop later, especially with no minors in '20.
& some of the criticisms read more personal than objective (for example Baseball Savant rates him as having 69th percentile outfield arm strength).
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/jarren-duran-680776?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb
Happy to trade the guy if another team values him, but if not? The rule changes should be good for a fast lefty who hits mostly grounders & if he's figured things out? Who knows. Definitely a bad plan A. But fine as a plan C.
First:What’s the Merloni story for those not listening?
MLB steals in their 20s:
Dave Roberts 12
Jarren Duran 9
Roberts had 243 for his career (245 including post season), but he didn't really get much Major League playing time until his age 30 season.
I've kinda written off Duran for a while now, buuut...maybe he's not entirely irredeemable?
93rd percentile sprint speed, 69th percentile outfield jump (surprising), 69th percentile arm strength, & he's 26 which isn't like young, but not so old that there can't be more there there. 132 & 120 wRC+ in AAA the last 2 seasons.
& he's lefty, super fast, & has a groundball rate over 50% (only a .217 BA on those balls last season in MLB), so he could certainly be someone helped by the shift rules.
He had a 22 wRC+ last year against lefties (& an amazing -12 at home against lefties), but his 91 against righties isn't so awful that he couldn't become competent if platooned correctly. Idk, I'm probably over thinking it. Fangraphs projects a bump from 78 to 92 wRC+ & from -0.4 WAR to 0.3 WAR in only 245 PAs. If we got something slightly above replacement level that wouldn't be a bad result.
He threw 21 scoreless innings for the 2013 Portland Sea Dogs. Then he moved around a LOT. He went 0-2 for the 2015 Yankees (embedded Red Sox!) then was a Nippon Ham Fighter in his early 30s. Then he pitched for a few minor league teams, then went up & up, pitching for the Rangers, Braves, Cubs, Dodgers, and now finally at age 37 he is fulfilling his destiny as a solid strike-throwing setup man for the Red Sox.Where the hell did this Martin dude come from
Actually I think it was Costas that said that any MLB player can have a "Hall of Fame game" and that is unique to baseball (talking about Wong's 4 for 4 at Fenway last week). I liked this comment.I wonder if anyone saw/heard the game as broadcast on mlbn. I heard clips of it on Quick Pitch and I got the idea they had hyped Atlanta and Acuna in particular, and seemed to think the Sox had just gotten lucky. But this could be my imagination. One of the voices was Bob Costas'.
Anyway, I agree that this was a very fun game, despite the disappointing at-bats by Masa and Wong. It's so interesting to me the way different guys "win" the game at different times and the same guys struggle in other games.
I watched it on MLBN. I've found Costas to be fair in recent years. Always a historian, he will wax historic over great Red Sox players and Fenway Park nowadays as much (almost as much?) as over his favorite team, the Yankees. As for Acuna's home run, it was 470 feet, after all. If you could "straighten out" the two home runs though, Casas' was probably longer. Silly. I thought Costas was fair last night.I wonder if anyone saw/heard the game as broadcast on mlbn. I heard clips of it on Quick Pitch and I got the idea they had hyped Atlanta and Acuna in particular, and seemed to think the Sox had just gotten lucky. But this could be my imagination. One of the voices was Bob Costas'.
Anyway, I agree that this was a very fun game, despite the disappointing at-bats by Masa and Wong. It's so interesting to me the way different guys "win" the game at different times and the same guys struggle in other games.
That's a pretty silly comment by Costas if he thinks that's unique to baseball.Actually I think it was Costas that said that any MLB player can have a "Hall of Fame game" and that is unique to baseball (talking about Wong's 4 for 4 at Fenway last week). I liked this comment.
What I could see I did not get too much bias from him.