Twins Video
During the season, much of my writing here at Twins Daily is concentrated in the "Week in Review" columns, published each Sunday evening to provide a timely snapshot of the team's situation and outlook. (You can find the latest edition here!)
Each week, I make a point of highlighting standout players, both good and bad, to track leaders and laggards over the course of the season. One thing I noticed recently is that I have rarely found myself mentioning Jhoan Duran in the "Highlights" section, despite the fact that he's undeniably been one of the team's best performers and biggest bright spots.
I wondered, why is that? But the answer isn't too hard to figure out, in the context of the fan experience.
First, Duran's greatness has become essentially routine. Not that throwing 104 MPH and blowing away the best hitters in the world should ever be viewed as such, but the big right-hander is so consistent, so reliable, and so casual in his otherworldly excellence that – as a fan – you almost have to will yourself not to take it for granted.
Twins fans, in general, can't be blamed for their conditioning to greatness at closer. Between Eddie Guardado, Joe Nathan, Glen Perkins, and Taylor Rogers, Minnesota closers have combined for 10 All-Star appearances in the past 20 years, and I'd argue that Nathan specifically is one of the 10 greatest to ever specialize in the closer role.
Yet, Duran is on a trajectory to surpass them all as a difference-maker.
The other reason his greatness might get overlooked is because the team surrounding Duran has been so bland and mediocre in spite of him. When writing about the latest week's events, I'm usually too busy lamenting the offensive shortcomings that led to multiple frustrating losses as opposed to reflecting on Duran's role in salvaging the close wins. I know I'm not alone.
But that's not right. If not for Duran, this team would be in markedly worse shape, and this bullpen would be a liability rather than a strength. While relief pitchers are less impactful than starters and hitters in a broad context, Duran's usage pushes his impact to the max.
He's facing the opposing team's best hitters, in high leverage, with games on the line, almost without exception. And he just keeps on getting it done, in dazzling fashion.
On Sunday, Duran cruised through one of his more comfortable appearances of the year, closing out a three-run win with a perfect 10th against Detroit to pick up his 11th save. Through 31 innings, he's posted a 1.45 ERA and 0.97 WHIP while averaging 12.2 strikeouts per nine. Since the start of last year he ranks second among all MLB relievers in Win Probability Added, trailing only Cincinnati's Alexis Diaz.
The 25-year-old hasn't been perfect this year, with a pair of blown saves and two losses to his record, but they've always resulted from ultra-slim margins for error. (Thanks, offense!) Duran hasn't given up more than one run in an appearance all year. In fact, he's gone 55 consecutive appearances without being charged with multiple runs. Unreal.
Meanwhile, he's been a workhorse, throwing multiple innings in five of his 28 appearances this season while regularly handling pitch counts in the 20s or even 30s without requiring much downtime. His velocity and stuff are on point in pretty much every outing. I can't remember a time where he complained of soreness or even fatigue during the past two years.
It needs to be underscored how remarkable that is. Coming into last season, Duran was one of the most glaring injury risks in the organization. He'd missed nearly all of the 2021 season with an elbow strain, and was coming back as a max-effort reliever unleashing triple-digit heat. The upside was tantalizing but the risk level was substantial, and we all know how that tends to go in this organization.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: he's a miracle.
Closer is one of those positions that we don't talk about very much unless the current occupant is struggling and costing the team wins. Baseball fans have been urged via sabermetrics to devalue the save statistic (rightfully so!) but there is no denying that high-caliber, high-leverage relief pitching is vital to winning games – especially in October.
That's why Twins fans should be talking more about Duran as we assess the team's viability as a contender. For all their flaws and weaknesses, having a relief weapon of this magnitude provides a massive single-game advantage. Being able to back him with a pair of supporting studs like Griffin Jax (who actually leads the bullpen in in fWAR) and Brock Stewart is a luxury few other teams can boast.
One can reasonably argue that this relief corps will need help at the deadline, but the Twins are lucky to be set at the top with one of the best arms in baseball – not just that, but one of the most unique and awesome specimens to ever take the major-league mound.
He deserves recognition as an All-Star. But more importantly, Duran deserves continual recognition in the eyes of fans like myself who might be inclined to take for granted the amazing things he's bringing to this team and to the game-viewing experience.
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now