Red Sox Coach Jump-Starts Jarren Duran Hype Train for 2026

Can he carry over the spring success?

Mar 9, 2026; Houston, TX, United States; Mexico outfielder Jarren Duran (16) hits a home run in the eighth inning against the United States at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

We've seen a different Jarren Duran this spring than the player who had a good, not great season in 2025.

Duran had a streak of three home runs in two games in spring training before leaving to play for Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. Then, he hit three more home runs in two games against Team Brazil and Team USA, meaning all in all, he's got six home runs in the nine games he's played since the playoffs.

For the Red Sox's purposes, it would be a game-changer if Duran could keep up this power streak during the regular season. If the hype train wasn't already pulling out of the station, one of the team's coaches just kicked it into gear.

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Pete Fatse confident Duran will translate WBC success

Red Sox hitting coach Pete Fatse, who worked with Duran to refine his approach at the plate this offseason, said this week that the results we've been seeing from the 29-year-old in this small spring sample are indicative of the type of impact he could have in the regular season.

“When you’re an eight-win player and you’re getting down-ballot MVP votes, anything short of that could be considered a failure,” Fatse said, per Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. “But he’s a high-impact guy, and this spurt we’re seeing now is not only what I think he can be, but kind of who he is. And it’s just our job to keep the focus and keep things moving forward.”

More good news for Red Sox fans hoping this year is a step forward for Duran: Fatse told McCaffrey he visited the speedster in California in December and saw a newfound confidence to his offensive approach.

“I think when he has that level of confidence, when he is in control of the at-bat and he’s dictating the aggressiveness, this is the type of player he can be,” Fatse said.

Mexico was eliminated from the WBC on Wednesday, which means Duran is headed back to camp in Fort Myers. He should get a hero's welcome, but most of all, he should be instilled with a ton of confidence that he can get back to being the down-ballot Most Valuable Player threat he was in 2024.