FORT MYERS, Fla, -- The Red Sox want Jarren Duran to be a different player this spring. Or, put more accurately, they want him to be more of himself.
Duran appeared overmatched most of the time during his second-half call-up to the big leagues, hitting just .215 with an OBP of .241. He had trouble making consistent contact, fanning 40 times in just 107 at-bats while drawing a paltry four walks.
"He's made some adjustments offensively,'' said Alex Cora. "He looks a lot bigger than last year, compared to how he finished with COVID. One thing I told him after last year, we want the energetic kid on Instagram and at Worcester. It's part of what he does. Last year, he was very careful, just being himself. One of the things about our club, we don't care. Just do whatever you have to do to be a good big leaguer. And he needs to play with energy. I think Jarren is a guy who, when he shows emotion, that helps.
"(We also want him to) use the legs. That's part of the equation. One of the things about his BP now, last year it was a show, hitting bombs. But everything was to the pull side. This year, it's more left-center and right-center, which is a great sign. Obviously, he used to bunt and used to use his legs as a weapon and we need him to get to that. He's not hitting fly balls. He's hitting the ball in the air. But not all of them are fly balls, which is great.''
Duran continues to tinker with his swing. After remaking himself during the pandemic summer of 2020 to get more loft, he's holding his hands noticeably lower this year at the plate, at least at the beginning of the set-up. Then, as he loads, the hands up higher.
But Duran isn't focused squarely on swing mechanics. For him to be successful, he needs to have an aggressive mentality and let his personality show.
"I went away from bunting for a while,'' said Duran, who is easily the fastest player on the team's 40-man roster, "but it was an everyday tool when I went to college. I had a conversation with myself in the offseason and I really want to get back to that -- it feeds into me as a player, using my legs and getting on base for guys. I'm going to try to use (my speed) as much as I can.''
Duran is a high-energy player, who likes to trash talk and be boisterous, but as a rookie, he found that he was constraining himself.
"It's very hard to do (as a rookie),'' said Duran. "Last year was more of a 'sit back and watch' kind of thing. Last year, I knew that wasn't who I was or who I want to be. As a rookie, I didn't (try to run as much as I should have). I didn't want to get out and these guys miss out on an RBI or we don't score a run. I played tight. I didn't play loose. These guys want me to steal. But I had all these negative thoughts, 'If get thrown out and they hit a ball in the gap, (we lose a run).' It blocked me mentally to not play the way I wanted to play.
"In the big leagues, it felt like more, instead of thinking, 'It's still a game.' I took it like, 'This is the big leagues, I can't play with my hair on fire. I can't scream and yell at my teammates.' But I can do that. They want me to. I was a mental midget; I made it bigger than it should have been.''
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A few rule changes will impact how teams maneuver pitchers up-and-down in their systems. Starting in 2022, players can only be optioned five times in a season; it had previously been limited. In addition, when players are optioned, they must remain in the minors for 15 days, a change from the previous limit of 10.
Finally, IL stints will go back to 15 days.
Last year, teams used options and IL stints to get fresh pitchers to the big leagues. Now, that will be harder to pull off.
"It will have an impact around the league,'' said Cora. "Facing different pitchers (on the same team) every seven days is not the way it's supposed to be. Now, teams have to be careful about sending people down. It will be interesting to see how the league reacts to it. We'll have to make adjustments, too. I think last year, (with the pandemic), there was more of a need and taking advantage in certain situations in certain ways. We can talk about Tanner (Houck, whom the Sox optioned seven times). IT just played out for us, and he was a good teammate about it. It wasn't perfect.
"But this will be good. I don't think we're going to see so many pitchers in a 10-day span, and having to prepare for so many different guys. If it happens, you're stuck with a guy for 15 days. It's going to be different now. The rules were the rules, but now, you have to very careful about optioning people down just because of a back spasm. If a guy's going to come back in four or five days, then you have to stick with the roster.''
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Cora has noticed some changes with Jeter Downs, who struggled mightily at Triple-A Worcester, slashing just .191/.272/.333.
"Wait until you see him,'' said Cora. "It's a different body, a different swing. We believe he can play short (in addition to second). Obviously, we have a shortstop, but versatility will be good for him, too.'
Downs scored a run on the back-half of a double steal in the Red Sox' 8-1 win over the Minnesota Twins.
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Cora welcomed the first game of the spring, which was played without much in the way of COVID protocols. Players were unmasked in the dugout, and in general, there are far fewer restrictions on players and staff.
"It's as normal as possible,'' said Cora. "Having (the media) here, having kids in the clubhouse ... that means a lot to everybody. That's what we missed. Last year, we had limitations and then we had (significant) limitations when we went through (a COVID outbreak in August). It's as close (to normal) as possible. You can have meetings, you can talk to players, you can introduce players, you can have fun. Last year, was structure. Now, it feels a lot better.''
Another sign of progress from last year: the club has a number of its alumni-instructors back in camp, working with minor leaguers. Dwight Evans is already here. Jim Rice, Pedro Martinez and a few others are due.
Also, the Sox will have Derek Lowe, who lives locally, in to work with some pitchers. Lowe's best pitch was his sinker, and he worked with former Sox starter Rick Porcello a few years ago. This year's student will be Tanner Houck, among others.
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Prior to the game, the Red Sox held a moment of silence for a number of members in the Red Sox family who passed away since the end of last season: former pitcher Ike Delock, pitcher Jim Corsi, infielder Julio Lugo and former Sox infielder and broadcast legend Jerry Remy. ... Nathan Eovaldi will get his first start of the spring, facing Tampa Bay today.
