Rich Hill is back in the big leagues
Jarren Duran is good ... really good.
And everyone knows it's important to have good players. As Frank Howard once told former Blue Jays manager John Gibbons, "If the other team has more cannons than you, it's usually not going to go well." As we have witnessed for most of this season, Duran is a pretty good cannon for the Red Sox to hold on to.
That was put on display once again Tuesday night at Fenway Park in the Red Sox' sorely-needed, 6-3 win over the Blue Jays.
But Duran's importance to the Red Sox isn't just about being a very good player. It's about the kind of player he represents. It's simply a skill-set and presence that is one of the most important - and hardest to find - in all of baseball.
Duran is a tone-setter. Case in point: The very first inning of what sure seemed like a pretty important game for his Red Sox.
Sure, some teams would prioritize a lockdown starter, or perhaps run-producing slugger. But there is something to be said for making sure a message is sent from the get-go, and really throughout an entire game. Offensively. Defensively. In the clubhouse.
That is where Duran comes in ... and came in when the Sox needed it the most.
"Every night you’re in awe of the things he’s doing," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "We act surprised, but we should expect this. That’s what he’s doing now. He set the tempo right away and got a pitch in, hit it hard and from there we just kept going."
The numbers and accolades will keep piling up. But it's the if-you-see-it-you-know-it piece of Duran's perception that helps separates. There simply aren't a lot of players who can make the kind of impact he can make.
Perhaps a bit more evidence ...
Duran has the second-most runs scored out of the leadoff spot in baseball, only behind the Phillies' Kyle Schwarber, while trailing just Luis Arraez for most hits by a leadoff man. Runners in scoring position? His OPS in such situations sits at .836. Two outs, needing to keep a rally going? That would be a .932 OPS.
It's what Mookie Betts did in 2018, and Jacoby Ellsbury offered at times before him.
Leadership in baseball can come in all different forms in the world of baseball, from all corners of the clubhouse and all over the field. Tuesday night, the Red Sox found a leader when they needed it most.
Duran was the party-starter for a team that desperately some semblance of a party.