May 17, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) hits a two-run RBI against the Atlanta Braves during the eighth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Jarren Duran didn't look like himself for the first six weeks of the season. And that was true from a purely aesthetic standpoint in addition to the results on the stat sheet.
40 games into the season, Duran had an OPS under .700. That wasn't the All-Star the Boston Red Sox got used to seeing in 2024. He was the tone-setter, and instead of having that tone set at the top of the lineup every night, the Red Sox had a leadoff hitter with an on-base percentage under .300.
But Duran has come back to life over the past week and a half, and those who have watched closely may be picking up on what's working.
Duran had abandoned his high leg kick, which worked for him all last summer and led to a midseason power surge, for a wide stance and a toe tap. But now, he's back to the leg kick, and with it has come a new wave of extra-base power.
After Duran hit a double and a triple on Monday night to power the Red Sox to a much-needed 3-1 win over the New York Mets, bench coach and acting manager Ramón Vázquez sounded off on how important he is to the lineup.
“That’s Jarren for us,” Vázquez said, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. “When he starts [ballgames] like that, we score early. It’s a game changer. It was good to see him go out there and be aggressive today. Like I said, scoring early in the game, when we do that, I feel like we have a really good chance to win the ballgame when we score first.”
Duran switched back to the leg kick in the first game of the Red Sox's series against the Kansas City Royals and went 0-for-5. But even including that performance, he has an .845 OPS in 10 games since the switch, and it's a .954 OPS with five extra-base hits in the last nine games.
Plus, thanks to Red Sox Stats on X (formerly Twitter), we know Duran had a .322/.377/.601 slash line from June through August last season, when his stance was the narrowest and he was trusting the leg kick to keep him on time.
Duran may be a fan of tinkering, but consider this a petition to keep the leg kick on a permanent basis.
