All-Star MVP Jarren Duran hails 23-year-old Red Sox teammate as one of the best center fielders in MLB

Modified Aug 18, 2024 15:51 GMT

Detroit Tigers v Boston Red Sox - Source: Getty — Detroit Tigers v Boston Red Sox - Image source: Getty

Jarren Duran of the Boston Red Sox commended teammate Ceddanne Rafaela's performances this season, calling him one of the best center fielders in the major league. After sitting out two games due to a suspension, Duran has come back and picked up right where he left off at the plate.

With a .262 batting average, 13 home runs and 58 RBIs in his debut campaign, Rafaela is in the discussion for the American League Rookie of the Year award. The 23-year-old has also shown his quality in defense, saving eight runs in 57 games this season from center field.

Speaking to New England Sports Network (NESN) after his side's latest win in Baltimore, Jarren Duran said:

"I'm just trying to follow in Rafa's footsteps. He's one of the best center fielders in the game. Watching him make plays like that inspires the whole outfield group." (Time stamp: 0:25)

Jarren Duran homers as Red Sox beat Baltimore Orioles in high-scoring game

The Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 12-10 at Camden Yards on Friday by managing to get to Orioles' ace Corbin Burnes, who gave up eight earned runs for the first time in his career before being pulled after just four innings.

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On a day when batters got a lot of joy, leadoff hitter Jarren Duran wasn't one to shy away from the fun, scoring the opening run for the Red Sox after his first at-bat, and adding two more runs himself. He recorded three hits, including an RBI and a home run in the seventh inning.

With another win on Saturday, improved their season record to 65-57. Red Sox fans are hoping the team can keep up their momentum as the wildcard race tightens. With the Orioles desperate to get back to their winning ways, another entertaining clash is expected at Camden Yards come Sunday.

About the author

Raghav Mehta is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda awaiting results for a Bachelor's in Journalism from Delhi University. He enjoys highlighting the key battles between players at different stages of the game and analyzing the decisive moments upon which they hinge.

One of Raghav's favorite moments, which underscores this, was the Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout clash in the 2023 WBC, where two of baseball's best players faced off against each other in the 9th inning. With the score 3-2 to Japan, Shohei eventually got the strikeout, which was absolute cinema.

Raghav is a Baltimore Orioles fan and is enjoying watching such an exciting young team compete at the top in a very competitive division.

Raghav has loved watching sports for as long as he can remember and realized he was pretty decent at writing his thoughts down at around the age of 14. Combining the two meant he had something he would enjoy doing every day, and he had identified that well before going to college.

Aside from work, Raghav enjoys playing sports, working out and watching movies.

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Edited by Garima