I think it was good. Came up, obviously a young guy, didn't really know what to expect. Obviously struggled at the start. Being in a new clubhouse, being around guys who had show time, kind of everything, playing against better competition. I think just getting up here, getting my feet wet, it made the transition coming into this year super easy, just because I'm pretty comfortable.
Duran has left the yard six times so far this spring. His two most recent homers came against Matthew Boyd in Team Mexico's pool play battle with Team USA, emphasizing the 29-year-old's sizzling start to competitive action this season.
The Baseball Hall of Fame will have two new members in a few months, as Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones were officially elected yesterday. The two Red Sox legends on the ballot, Dustin Pedroia and Manny Ramirez, failed to hit the 75% vote threshold. Pedroia, though, is only in his second year on the ballot and saw his vote percentage jump from 11.9 to 20.7, which bodes well for his campaign going forward.
What you will find is someone with an average-to-plus hit tool, who can make the plays defensively at multiple positions, with a lot of speed on the bases. Durbin slashed .256/.334/.387 in his rookie season, with 11 home runs and 18 stolen bases, which led to third place in Rookie of the Year voting. The ball is usually put into play when Durbin is at the plate.
After a relatively strong season preceding Labor Day(ish), the wheels sorta fell off in the last month or so of 2025. Fast forward to yesterday, where he coughed up four earned runs across four hits and an error in just 1.1 innings against Toronto in Grapefruit League play. Sure, it's only Spring Training. Sure, he wasn't gonna go beyond a few innings anyway. But it's not a great way to start 2026, right?
Manager Alex Cora noted that Narv/Narvi/The Narv did a great job exceeding expectations in 2025, per Gabrielle Starr the Boston Herald, while being "banged up" the entire time. Red Sox Hall of Famer and current team staff member Jason Varitek commended him for his preparation and mindset in the clubhouse. Cora himself ordained him as the team's starting backstop, a call that was all but official leading up to Spring Training.
I don't like to speak ill of any player. I'd like to say that he's a wonderful person. But, of course, when we had an injury at first base his unwillingness to play that position was extremely discouraging. It was a discouraging episode. Just pick up a glove.
