This is not a reactionary post to the Red Sox scoring one run Tuesday night. It is not a plea for them to immediately call-up Jarren Duran. And it is certainly not to suggest that Alex Cora' club doesn't have the current pieces to hang in the American League East for the time being.
No, this is a feeling. And educated guess.
At some point in the coming months, Duran is going to be just what the doctor ordered. He will be this team's jumper cables.
The feeling is born only partly from what the top prospect has been putting on display with Triple-A Worcester. That's a start. But where this truly emanates from is how this version of Red Sox are built.
Enrique Hernandez. Marvin Gonzalez. Hunter Renfroe. Christian Arroyo. Danny Santana. All serve a purpose. All are good players in their own way. And all will ultimately be most likely playing close to the back of their baseball cards. That's where Duran can come in.
Nobody is going to expect any of the aforementioned names to emerge into the foundation of these 2021 Red Sox. But the sum of these parts can be impactful, in a Tampa Bay kind or way, with Duran offering the final piece some didn't know the entire puzzle was going to need.
When thinking about this Jacoby Ellsbury immediately came to mind. Same type of player, riding through his first big-league season at around the same age as Duran (24). But, ultimately, this probably won't be an apples-to-apples comparison.
Ellsbury was called up for about a week at the end of June and then sent down. He played in one game in August before heading back to Pawtucket once more. Finally, there was the final promotion during September call-ups, resulting in the outfielder winning American League Rookie of the Month.
By the time Ellsbury was first summoned to Boston, the Red Sox were already running away with the American League East. No jump-start was needed. That didn't come until Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, with the Red Sox going 6-0 once the outfielder was put in the starting lineup, with the punctuation coming in the form of a World Series title.
No, this would be more along the lines of Rafael Devers in 2017.
The Red Sox needed a third baseman and instead of hitting the trade market prior to the deadline they chose to promote the 20-year-old Devers. Leading up to that July 25, 2017 debut, the Sox carried a one-game lead over the Yankees but were 6-11 since July 5.
Less than a week after Devers' introduction, the Red Sox rattled off 10 wins in 11 games, with the rookie third baseman managing a .342 batting average and .943 OPS during the stretch.
Get the idea?
Once Duran is called up it will likely be with the idea that Worcester will be permanently in his rearview mirror. And, just to be safe, the major league ask won't be an everyday one, either, unless performance warrants.
For now, we get it. Duran needs to work on some things. Outfield defense. Proving he can weather slump-induced storms. Consistently dealing with high-end velocity.
But this isn't about presenting a perfect product to fix an utterly flawed roster. Duran can just simply be that little push all good teams sometimes need. Just a nudge.
The guess here is he will be the perfect man for the job.