Jarren Duran may have been eliminated from the All-Star fan vote, but the Boston Red Sox outfielder is accomplishing things never before seen in the history of the American League.
Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) celebrates his home run with third base coach Kyle Hudson (84) against the Miami Marlins in the eighth inning at loanDepot Park.
With All-Star fan voting coming to an end on Wednesday, one of the league's most prominent rising stars is not actually on the ballot.
Still, that hasn't stopped Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran from making history.
Duran capped off Boston's 8-3 win over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night with a solo home run in the eighth inning. It was Duran's 100th hit and 10th home run of the season, and he is now batting .287 with 10 triples, 21 stolen bases, an .848 OPS and a 4.6 WAR.
According to team official JP Long, Duran is now the first American League player ever to record 100 hits, 10 triples, 10 home runs and 20 stolen bases before the All-Star break. The only National League player ever to achieve the feat is José Reyes, who did so with the New York Mets in 2008.
Duran's all-around dominance this season has made him one of the most valuable players in all of baseball, as he currently ranks No. 4 across all of MLB in WAR.
The only outfielder who has outperformed Duran in terms of WAR in 2024 is New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who led the American League in All-Star votes during Phase 1. That locked Judge into the AL's starting lineup for the Midsummer Classic and left four others competing for the last two spots in Phase 2.
The Cleveland Guardians' Steven Kwan, the Baltimore Orioles' Anthony Santander, the Houston Astros' Kyle Tucker and the Yankees' Juan Soto all made the cut, while Duran did not. Duran has a higher WAR than all of them, though.
Duran's star-power is relatively new, considering the inconsistencies and injuries that plagued him through his first few big league campaigns. After batting .219 with a .622 OPS between 2021 and 2022, Duran hit .295 with an .828 OPS in 2023, but he only appeared in 102 games.
Now, Duran is well on his way to career-highs across the board, and he has yet to miss a game for the Red Sox.
Duran could still make the All-Star Game, if he is selected as a reserve on July 7. Those decisions are left up to the Player Ballot and the Commissioner's Office.
If they have been paying the slightest amount of attention to Duran's accomplishments so far this season, he may just find himself heading to Arlington, Texas, with the rest of MLB's biggest stars.
