Jarren Duran must make the 2024 American League All-Star team.
The fans didn’t vote for Duran, but he deserved more consideration than he got.
Anyone paying attention to MLB this season knows where Duran stands. You’d have to have been actively ignoring reality not to acknowledge him.
That’s what seems to have happened, given he barely finished in the top 20 vote-getters for American League outfielders.
The top four highest vote-getting AL outfielders behind Aaron Judge advanced to the second phase of fan voting.
Duran is better than most of the players who finished ahead of him.
Jarren Duran’s All-Star hopes are now in his fellow players’ hands. Let’s hope they’re more intelligent than the fans.
Whatever happens, the Red Sox 27-year-old speedster has come a long way in two years.
Jarren Duran Is a Foundational Player for the Red Sox Now
Embed from Getty ImagesWhat a difference two years make, huh?
Jarren Duran couldn’t do anything well in his first 91 career games. He’s become an All-Star-caliber foundation piece for the Red Sox just a season and a half later.
Over his first 91 big league games, Duran hit .219/.269/.354/.622 with a 69 OPS+. He had 17 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 27 RBI, and nine stolen bases.
His jumps and routes in center field were terrible, resulting in -2 Outs Above Average and -14 Defensive Runs Saved over that span.
Duran has always messed with his swing, trying to find anything that worked.
Something finally clicked for him last year.
Among other things, he moved his hands down, buying into the line drive approach Red Sox manager Alex Cora preached to him.
As a result, he hit for a vastly improved .295/.346/.482/.828 slash line with a 121 OPS+. He had 34 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 40 RBI, and 24 stolen bases.
He was finally able to show off his speed for the first time.
Duran’s defense drastically improved (0 OAA/-5 DRS), too.
And he’s begun 2024 right where he left off in 2023 before getting hurt scaling the wall at Yankee Stadium and then some.
Over his first 58 games of 2024, Duran hit .253/.318/.426/.744. He had 16 doubles, eight triples, three home runs, 23 RBI, and 11 stolen bases.
We watched an outstanding player then, thanks to his skillset and improved defense (11 DRS/8 OAA in 2024).
The California native has only reached another level in June.
Duran is hitting .375/.430/.615/.1.045 for the month. He has seven doubles, two triples, four home runs, 14 RBI, and nine stolen bases this month.
Thirteen of his 27 multi-hit games have come in June.
Jarren Duran was a legitimate All-Star candidate before June. It’s just an undeniable fact that he is an All-Star now.
Jarren Duran More Than Deserves an All-Star Nod
Embed from Getty ImagesAmong AL outfielders (minimum 60 plate appearances), Duran is first in hits (96) and stolen bases (20); second in bWAR (4.3), extra-base hits, and Defensive Runs Saved (11); and third in OPS+ (160).
He’s also 12th in RBI (37) and average (.288), 15th in OPS (.831), 16th in on-base percentage (.351), 17th in slugging percentage (.480), and 19th in OPS+ (129).
Among qualifying American League position players, he’s third in hits, stolen bases, and bWAR, fourth in XBH, and sixth in runs scored and total bases. Duran is also 11th in AVG, 14th in OPS, 16th in SLG, 17th in OBP, 20th in OPS+, and 34th in RBI.
Among all qualifying MLB outfielders, Duran is 1st in hits and stolen bases; second in bWAR, XBH, and DRS; third in total bases; fourth in runs scored and average; eighth in OPS and OAA (6). He’s also 10th in SLG, 13th in OBP, 15th in OPS+, and 24th in RBI.
Jarren Duran is just a plain good hitter now.
Among all qualifying MLB position players, the Red Sox lefty hitter is fifth in hits and XBH, 20th in average, 24th in OPS, 27th in SLG, 35th in OBP, and 36th in OPS+.
He’s also 38th in xBA (.282) and 22nd in total swing/take runs (16).
And he’s (obviously) fast. He’s second in runner runs (5), 13th in advance attempts above average (11%), 26th in sprint speed (29.3ft/sec), and 10th in home-1st (4.14).
Duran’s better than most AL outfielders ahead of him
Embed from Getty Images10 American League outfielders finished ahead of Jarren Duran.
Duran is leaps and bounds ahead of almost all of them.
He’s got them all beat in runs scored, hits, stolen bases, OBP, total bases, bWAR, and XBH.
Duran is only behind Adolis Garcia of the Texas Rangers and Alex Verdugo in RBI.
He’s only behind Mauricio Dubon of the Houston Astros in average.
And he’s only behind Mike Trout in SLG, OPS, and OPS+.
Trout shouldn’t even be on the ballot, having not played since April.
Dugie is hitting .245/.305/.395/.699 with a 96 OPS+.
Jarren Duran is easily one of the top 10 outfielders in the American League if not all of MLB. That’s what most people would call an All-Star.
Injuries have already occurred and will continue between now and July 16. Some players, injured or not, choose not to participate at all.
Jarren Duran should be one of the first American League All-Star player replacements. If Duran doesn’t get the nod even that way, what are we doing here?
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Featured Image Credit: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images
