Last week the Reds made some additions to the 40-man roster, with the most surprising addition being outfielder Juan Duran. The 21-year-old spent his entire season in Bakersfield for the second straight season. He posted a .251/.323/.450 line during 2013, which is up from .237/.286/.370 that was posted in 2012 in just two more plate appearances.
Plate Approach
In 2012, Duran posted a 5.7% walk rate and a 33% strikeout rate. Both of those rates improved in the 2013 season as he posted a 9.9% walk rate and a 29.4% strikeout rate. A more patient approach mixed with more contact is a big step in the right direction. His walk rate was good, though his strikeout rate was still quite high. He is going to need to continue to cut down on his strikeout rate, but the improved walk rate was a good sign.
Power
Duran has some of, if not the best raw power in the entire Reds farm system. It hasn’t always showed itself in games though. He had a good power year in 2011 where he hit 21 doubles and 16 home runs, but saw that drop off to 16 doubles and 12 home runs in 2012. He bounced back with 15 doubles and 20 home runs in 2013 for Bakersfield. The home run total was a new career high. As a better plate approach comes about, the more his power will play.
Hitting Mechanics
During the time in Bakersfield Duran has changed some of his swing mechanics. The biggest difference is how much quieter he is at the plate now. There is very little wasted movement in his set up and his swing. He used to have quite a bit of movement pre-swing and load, but things have gotten much simpler and very little movement is wasted now.
Overall
Duran made some small improvements across the board offensively and they paid off. If he can make similar improvements moving forward he may have a chance to hit enough at the Major League level. There is still plenty of work to do defensively, but the offensive improvements are a step in the right direction.