If there is anyone who can hit leadoff for the Boston Red Sox, it is Jarren Duran. He was not hitting leadoff to start the season under Alex Cora, but since Chad Tracy took over, he has re-established himself as the go-to leadoff hitter on the team. Granted, Roman Anthony has been dealing with an injury and was the leadoff hitter before the injury, but there is no way you can throw Anthony back into the leadoff spot.

You Should Know: Duran is the go-to leadoff hitter

No shade to Roman Anthony — he has the power to hit homers and swing the bat — but that is why he should be in the cleanup spot or even as a number two hitter. Anthony as a leadoff hitter has had 233 plate appearances, with 55 hits, eight doubles, two triples, six homers and 20 RBIs. Most fans would prefer Anthony to be the third person up in the inning, as even if, say, Duran gets on but the next person gets out, Anthony has the chance to do some damage.

Duran, however, since making his way to the leadoff position, is the person to lead off. He has the speed, power and hustle. Duran, since coming to the Red Sox in 2021, has been the leadoff hitter in 368 games, resulting in 1,657 plate appearances. He has registered 406 hits, 106 doubles, 29 triples, 42 homers and 168 RBIs. He has posted a .245 batting average, a .323 on-base percentage, a .419 slugging percentage and a .742 on-base plus slugging. He has consistently been the firestarter for the Red Sox when he has led off the game, whether that be from him turning singles into doubles or blasting homers to lead off the game.

Before You Go: He seems to get more power from the leadoff spot

Duran has had decent hitting from other positions; however, he just seems to get on fire when it comes to the leadoff position. When Duran is not hitting leadoff, he has played in 190 games, registering 683 plate appearances, 148 hits, 43 doubles, six triples, 15 homers and 84 RBIs. He has posted a .244 batting average, a .321 on-base percentage, a .409 slugging percentage and a .730 on-base plus slugging. Duran’s slugging is almost .010 points higher when he leads off than when he is batting anywhere else in the lineup. It has been exciting to watch the difference in the hitting and on-base percentage of Duran as he went from going back and forth to being the steady leadoff hitter.

Duran has continuously shown that when in the leadoff spot, he is a weapon. Fans can understand why Cora put Anthony as the leadoff hitter — it was expected that he would come out firing — but as soon as Anthony started struggling, Cora should have immediately made the switch. This season alone, Duran has seen a huge turnaround from when he was hitting at a different spot in the lineup. It will be interesting to see where Tracy puts Anthony when he gets back from the wrist injury, but the leadoff spot belongs to Duran.