Carlos Duran is an MLB Pipeline Top 30 pitching prospect in the Dodgers organization who was signed in 2018 out of the Dominican Republic. At 6’7, and with a big fastball, Duran fits the formula as the Dodgers love Big frames and lots of projection in their young pitching prospects. Duran is 20 years old and spent most of 2021 in Low A Rancho Cucamonga before being moved to High A Great Lakes in September for his last 2 starts.
Background
The Dominican Republic is a well-known hotbed for baseball and has produced more Major League baseball players than any other Latin American Country. Baseball isn’t just a pastime there, it’s a way of life and Duran learned that way of life at a very early age. Duran began playing baseball at 6 years old and grew up around friends who almost all have become professional baseball players. He has a lot of experience in the game playing in High Profile tournaments and was noticed by the Dodgers at a Perfect Game tournament in Miami.
Quotes are courtesy of Interpreter Alex Cotto:
The Dodgers saw me at a Perfect Game tournament in Miami in the states. After seeing me at that tournament, they held a private workout at the facility I was training at in the Dominican. At the time of that workout, Ismael Cruz, who was the director of International Scouting for the Dodgers, gave me a handshake and told me that I was going to be a Dodger soon.
With all of the amazing talent that the Dominican Republic produces, Duran had an unlimited amount of players to look up to, but it was Cuban-born Jose Fernandez who Duran grew up admiring and patterning himself after the most.
Growing up I liked the way Jose Fernandez carried himself, the Pitcher for the Marlins that sadly passed away. I liked the way he performed, the way he acted on the field, how he was agressive and the way he did everything he needed to do to help his team win.
International players sign at younger ages than American players and Duran signed at the young age of 16. Signing at that early of an age is difficult enough, but then having to prepare to move to an entirely different country just adds to it. When asked how that process has been, this is what he had to say:
The day I signed was a very special day for me because it was my older brothers birthday. So I viewed that as a gift to my family of all the hard work I had put in. Everybody was very emotional that day and it was a very special day for me and my family. The big transition was getting on a plane and traveling and coming Stateside. I love the culture and the different things there are to see here in the States, and I love the way I’ve been treated by the American people in general. So, so far everything has been very positive and I have felt very welcomed and I like being here.
It is no secret that the Dodgers are the standard-bearers when it comes to International players, something that Duran is excited about.
It’s been great because the way the Dodgers operate it’s just like a big family where everybody is welcomed and everybody is on the same page and everybody does what is best for the team. So it’s been a really good experience and I feel very proud to be with the Dodgers.
Feature Cut
Duran features a fastball that sits at 93-94 and hit as high as 98 this past season. His fastball also has very good arm-side movement with sink. and he pairs that with a tumbling curveball, a very good slider, and a developing changeup. Duran’s slider is, at times, more than 10 mph off of his fastball, and he has a lot of confidence in the pitch, so his fastball/slider combo is very good.
Duran’s curveball is a pitch that has an incredible amount of tumble.
Duran has been a starter so far in his Dodgers career and is excited to stay in that role and with 4 pitches he fits the profile.
I picture myself as a starter, and that’s what I’m working for. I want to be the biggest benefit to the team as I can be and my heart is stuck on being a starter.
Duran finished last season at High A Great Lakes and is just 20 years old, so one might suspect that the Organization will do with him this year like they did last year and that would be to leave him at Great Lakes, then move him to AA Tulsa at the very end of the year. Duran is already very, very good, but still very young, so he is an exciting young prospect with a massive amount of upside, physical tools, experience in the game, and overall ability.
