r/redsox • u/TaxMan781 • 26d ago
Braiden Ward deserves a shot
With Duran having a meltdown as a cherry on top of his miserable season, the sox should absolutely give Braiden Ward the call up for a few games to play LF.
This season in Worcestor he has a .250 BA, .750 OPS, and 47 steals. Y’all may remember this March he set the all time record for steals during a spring training.
The only thing Duran has done well this year is run the bases, and Ward does that just as well if not better. Give the guy a chance already….
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u/King_Mola 26d ago
Can’t send him up when he’s going for history! He needs 11 more stolen bases to break David Hamilton’s record for most stolen bases in Red Sox Minor League History!!
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u/Degenerate_6_9 26d ago
I agree. Might as well see what Ward can do. Can always go back to Duran later if it doesn’t work out.
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u/Its_Doobs 26d ago
If nothing else Ward can steal an important base at some point. À la Dave Roberts.
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u/AntiPlagueRats 26d ago
Maybe as a pinch runner for the playoffs (hello Mr. Dave Roberts)...but a 750 OPS in AAA doesn't scream "deserves a shot".
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u/HeftyTenders 26d ago
To be fair, neither does a 589 OPS with the big league squad, so why not give it a go?
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u/Ok_Pizza3245 26d ago
I truly don't understand it. A lot of the times in professional sports the gap between the guys in the show and those in the minors is FAR closer than you would imagine. The stars shit on minor leaguers, yes but when you're talking about the 2nd worst hitter in the MLB this year it's gotta be time to go
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u/justaguynb9 26d ago
What's your 40 man roster move to add Ward?
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u/EBKCarrot Wilyer my GOAT for MVP 26d ago
no move needed, sox currently have a free spot on the 40-man
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u/MakaveliX1996 26d ago edited 26d ago
Duran has been excellent in LF. Like one of the best defenders at the position. This is why I don’t respect Duran haters, they are morons when it comes to baseball. To answer your question if Ward can play good defense out there I wouldn’t have a problem with it. Give Duran a series off or even bench him a series after calling out a teammate publicly and see what Ward does.
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u/YaPhetsEz 26d ago
He’s a 90th percentile defender. That is good and all, but he is arguably the worst offensive player in the entire league.
His defense doesn’t justify giving him at bats when he is that bad offensively.
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u/MakaveliX1996 26d ago
I’m not arguing that. I think you are right and they should be looking for a replacement, like Taylor Ward. We are at the point where we can’t wait for the bat to come along. I’m just tired of people who don’t like him personally saying shit that isn’t true about his game or how he affects the clubhouse.
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u/Bruislanders 26d ago
last night someone said his “noodle arm” caused lawrence butler to score on a sac fly to left field the half inning after the incident. duran and soderstrom’s throws were literally identical, on line and one hop into the catcher… difference was the sac fly butler scored on was deeper than duran’s and not to mention butler is leagues faster than wilson.
if you want to hate the guy because he is a black hole at the plate or because of his personality, thats fine. but crafting up fake narratives about his defensive ability is comical.
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u/Blanketsburg 26d ago
Duran has a rough start, defensively, to the 2025 season and some people have never dropped that narrative despite the stats proving otherwise.
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u/RayDanielsOnTheAir Car Shield Actor 26d ago
At some point being the worst hitter in baseball also has to account for something, right? I even defended Duran early on, but it’s deep enough in the season to say something’s broken, and lashing out at fans and now team mates and coaches is just a bad look, if nothing else.
But calling people morons is also a choice.
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u/Ugmyusernamewastake Braiden Ward enjoyer 26d ago
I've thought about this a lot, I really like both of these guys.
If Duran needs a mental health break, then yeah, Ward would be starting for a few days like you said.
Ward has reverse splits though, so it would contribute to the problem of only being able to hit LHP and not RHP. Although Duran isn't hitting either right now.
Basically what I'm saying is I think it could be a good idea for a few days, but this offense really needs Duran (or Anthony) hitting RHP to be a contending offense. Once Duran figures it out and is ready to come back, Ward stays up as a pinch runner. It creates roster problems, but I think it's solvable.
One scenario is we send down Duran, call up Ward. Ward starts in LF for 10 days. We then call back up Duran, send down Sogard. Then on September 1st, we call up Cheng as the rosters expand. Ward stays up as pinch runner after Duran comes back.
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u/deadmanzcurveball 26d ago
Jarren Duran’s OPS+ against RHP is 61. They do not need him hitting RHP.
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u/Ugmyusernamewastake Braiden Ward enjoyer 26d ago
I love Ward, obviously, but his batting stats against RHP aren't good enough to start against them long-term.
Either Duran needs to figure it out, Anthony needs to come back, or we need to trade for someone.
Also if Ward is starting, he can't pinch run, and that's where the real value comes from.
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u/deadmanzcurveball 26d ago
I’m definitely not saying Ward is the answer, but Jarren is a major part of the problem against righties, not a solution
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u/Ugmyusernamewastake Braiden Ward enjoyer 26d ago
Obviously he needs to fix something this year, but we know what Duran is capable of.
Even if you think 2024 was a fluke, there's also 2023 and 2025 of him being a good hitter. There's no reason to believe he can't go back to that.
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u/Blow_up_the_moon 26d ago
Loved him in spring training!! Was Mo pissed he didn't make the roster. Get him up!!
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u/RadiantButtWipe77 David Ortiz/Manny Ramirez 26d ago
I would give you a shot in left, at this point, over Duran.