The pair quickly bonded because they were able to communicate in Spanish, and because they have shared experience as utility players. Cintrón held Duran’s current role with four teams over a nine-year period from 2001-09. It helped build trust and allowed for simple messaging to perhaps sink in better.
Cintrón suggested backing off the plate about a half-step in the batters box, to help prevent Duran from chasing pitches on the outside corner.
“I thought he was chasing those because he’s so close up on the plate and it looked closer to him,” Cintrón said. “He was worried about not getting to the pitch on the outside corner, but he works so well on the ball in, that we said, ‘If they dot something out there, we aren’t going to do anything with that anyway; there’s no damage to be done.’ If they execute a pitch out there, we tip our hat to them.”
It has apparently helped. Duran’s chase rate is down significantly this year to 30.3%, marking a 19% change from his previous career line. It has translated to more walks and fewer strikeouts. Thus far, his walk rate for 2026 (11.1%) is double that of his career.
Cintrón also suggested that Duran hold the bat a little tighter in his hands to prevent it from moving as much during his swing. He already has 10 extra base hits in fewer than 100 plate appearances; each of the last two years he’s had 14 extra base hits and more than twice as many plate appearances.