Red Sox seeing encouraging signs from Caleb Durbin after difficult start to season

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Red Sox seeing encouraging signs from Caleb Durbin after difficult start to season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

When the Boston Red Sox lost Alex Bregman to free agency, they were set on a mad dash to find his replacement. While many wanted a huge slugger to replace him, the Red Sox went out and traded for Milwaukee Brewers ROTY candidate Caleb Durbin.

Durbin had potential, and GM Craig Breslow believes his swing was made for Fenway Park. Instead, he’s been ice cold for most of this season, with an average way below the Mendoza Line. However, things have started to change.

Durbin was looking like a total bust​

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When the Sox acquired Durbin, he was coming off a season where he slashed .256/.334/.387/.721 with 25 doubles, 11 homers, 53 RBI, and 18 stolen bases in 136 games. He was also third place for NL Rookie of the Year.

However, this season, Durbin couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn. In the first quarter of the season, Durbin was slashing .166 with one home run and 16 RBI. The only things keeping him on the big league roster were him being right-handed, his elite defense, and Breslow’s confidence in him.

Something’s finally clicked​

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© Ken Blaze-Imagn Images



Now though, it seems like something has finally clicked for Durbin. He’s been destroying the ball, hitting .357 with five hits and four RBI in the past five games.

This has brought his season averages up to .182/.251/.270/.522, which still seem pretty bad. But, compare them to just a month ago, and you can see a clear progression.

Durbin’s on thin ice​

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All Durbin has to do is continue putting the ball in play. His ice cold start to this season could probably be attributed to his mental state, as he knew coming in he was the superstar leader Boston’s replacement.

However, if Durbin starts to slip up again, a stint in the minors might be the best for him to find his swing again. Hopefully he doesn’t need it, and gets to work on continuing to hit the ball.

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