Red Sox Prospect Jarren Duran Humbled By Comp To Grady Sizemore
The Red Sox let Jackie Bradley walk in free agency. They also failed to really replace him. There isn’t a true centerfielder on the roster. A big part of the reason why that’s the case is because Jarren Duran is considered the future at the position.
Duran, 24, was drafted out of Long Beach State in the seventh round of the 2018 MLB Draft. Since that time, Duran has shot up the prospect rankings. Currently, MLB.com has Duran ranked as the organization’s fourth best prospect. Duran falls short of just Tristan Casas, Jeter Downs, and Bobby Dalbec who are all ranked inside the top 100 for the sport.
Duran is expected to join the Sox at some point in 2021. In the meantime, Duran has given fans plenty to be excited about. Alex Cora compared Duran to Grady Sizemore and Jacoby Ellsbury. That’s quite lofty praise.
Duran has drawn rave reviews during Spring ball but he’s keeping his head down and not trying to be compared to anybody:
“I try not to compare myself to guys like that because they’ve done so many great things and I haven’t done anything yet,” Duran said. “I can’t put myself next to them because they’ve done such great things and played in the big leagues. I haven’t done any of that yet.”
Duran has been a force in Spring Training and is already coming off an MVP campaign of Puerto Rico’s Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente championship series in January. Duran makes contact frequently from the left side and stole 46 bases over 132 games during the 2019 Minor League season.
As the Red Sox continue their rebuild, Duran is a player to get excited about. The future centerfielder of the next championship team in Boston might already be on the roster. Hey, maybe even consider buying some SimBull Red Sox stock?
