SEATTLE — Jarren Duran did it so many times last season, turning a routine single into a double because of speed, hustle and good reads.
The speedster’s 34 doubles tied for second among Red Sox hitters last year. In July, manager Alex Cora estimated that 10 of Duran’s then 26 doubles were singles he turned into doubles because of his speed and reads.
Rookie center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela looked very similar to Duran in Boston’s regular season opener Thursday when he turned a double into a triple with his heads-up base running and speed.
“We had a pretty good scouting report on their outfielders and he obviously read the play,” Duran said about Rafaela before Friday’s 1-0 loss to Seattle. “He was literally staring at the play the whole time. He had a great read. He didn’t break stride at all. He just kept going. He knew he wanted it. I feel like some guys would stop and read the play and then go. But he was committed the whole way. So we were going absolutely nuts in the dugout when we saw him round second. It was sick.”
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Rafaela said, “As soon as I hit the ball, I was thinking three. Get hard out of the box. I saw a chance to get to third. I believe in my speed so I took the chance.”
Duran’s speed (turning singles into doubles, stealing 24 bases in ‘23) made Boston’s offense so much better last year. Now the Red Sox might have two young players who can do it.
Manager Alex Cora discussed before Friday’s game the way Duran impacts games with his speed.
“When he was playing last year, we were really good. And then he got hurt, we didn’t win too many games,” Cora said. “He went through his slumps and all that but it’s just the fact the energy is contagious. When he’s in that box, yeah, we would love for him to hit a homer but we love when he hits that ground ball and gets to second. That’s fun to watch. He gets it. He understands that. And he’s the one that gets us going.”
How does Duran describe Rafaela’s athleticism and the way the rookie can impact a game?
“He’s a freaking absolute stud,” Duran said. “I’m sure everybody’s seen it (his athleticism). And it’s awesome to be able to play to his right side. I’ll just be like, ‘Hey, you take the gap and I’ll just cover the line.’ But he’s an absolute stud and I can’t wait to see when he gets more comfortable and he gets more at-bats in the big leagues. He’s going to be a (expletive) stud, man.”
Duran said Rafaela’s natural athleticism also allows him to hit for power. Rafaela led all Red Sox minor leaguers in extra-base hits in 2022 and ‘23.
“I think it’s just being an athlete,” Duran said. “He’s just quick-twitched.”
Rafaela’s base running Thursday is one example so far that Cora thinks shows Boston is a faster team than in previous years and will use its speed to create runs.
“We should be able to do that,” Cora said. “Rafaela, Duran, Trevor (Story). Those guys should take advantage of the environment we play now. There’s other guys who are going to do the same thing. Tyler (O’Neill) took off yesterday. We should be able to score runs in a different way, not only hitting. We will hit the ball out of the ballpark. We know that. But I do believe we can create with our speed and (Thursday) was a perfect example of that.”
