Analyzing Duran's hot stretch

This story was excerpted from Kennedi Landry’s Rangers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SEATTLE -- Ezequiel Duran has arrived. The Rangers’ 23-year-old infielder, turned utilityman, turned starting shortstop in the absence of Corey Seager is having his moment.

A former Top 100 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, Durán has emerged as a vital part of the Rangers lineup in recent weeks, sporting a 127 OPS+, 128 wRC+ and even earning two outs above average at shortstop, a position he never played with regularity until this past Spring Training.

“I wish there was just one thing [to specify], but I just like his overall game,” said manager Bruce Bochy. “I mean, this kid, what a job he’s doing at short … he’s just a good all-around baseball player … runs bases well and and you can play him anywhere out there. There is just so much to like about this kid.”

There are still holes in his game. He has drawn only one walk in 27 games and has a chase rate in the bottom three percentile in the league. That doesn’t matter so much when he makes contact and the ball flies off the bat like it does, though. All four of his home runs have gone 400-plus feet, with over exit velocities over 100 mph -- and his batting average entered Wednesday at .304, which is the second highest among Rangers on the active roster. Durán also boasts the sixth-most hits (28) for the Rangers this season.

“He’s just a hitter,” Bochy said. “That’s why he’s out there every day.”

“He’s got a gift, and that’s getting the barrel on the ball consistently, that’s pretty much it,” Bochy said. “Just consistently hard contact. And he’s a smart hitter. I think he sees what pitchers are trying to do. He’s adjusted on the fly, which you like to see from a young kid. He has shown good discipline up there and he's using the whole field. He’s just mature beyond his years.”

He is a naturally talented hitter, but for Durán, his success stems from the daily progress he’s made with the hitting coaches.

“I’ve been working really hard and all the results that are coming in right now are paying off,” Durán said through interpreter Raul Cardenas. “I've been working hard on my approach and I’m doing a lot of things just to kind of keep my head right.”

Durán made his big league debut last season, jumping straight from Double-A Frisco to Arlington due to a slew of infield injuries at the time. One of four prospects in the Joey Gallo deal with the Yankees at the 2021 Trade Deadline, he profiled as a plus hitter with the ability to play second or third base at the big league level.

After some initial struggles, hitting just .236/.277/.365 in 58 MLB games in 2022, and a couple of trips back down to Triple-A, Durán has shown he can be an elite player at this level.

“He plays with no fear on both sides of the ball,” Bochy said. “It has been a joy to watch how this kid has come along. It’s been a heck of a month for him.”

Then comes a roster dilemma, though it’s a good one to have. Seager is set to begin his rehab assignment later this week. He’ll likely return to the Rangers’ lineup during the next homestand. Bochy said he’ll cross that bridge when he gets to it, but noted that Durán can play all three outfield spots. He can play almost anywhere you put him, honestly.

And Bochy will have to make that happen.

“It’s hard not to have him out there a lot,” Bochy said. “We’re gonna have to find a spot for him somewhere with the way he’s swinging the bat. I gotta get creative here to get this kid in the lineup.”