Jhoan Durán

Jhoan Manuel Durán

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 5", Weight 230 lb.

• Debut April 8, 2022

• Born January 8, 1998 in Esperanza, Valverde D.R.

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Jhoan Durán drew attention for his incredible radar gun readings during his rookie season with the Minnesota Twins in 2022. In one of his first games, his fastball was recorded at 102 mph - the fastest pitch in franchise history. He then regularly broke triple-digits during the season, eventually reaching 103.3 mph. The Twins exploited this by devising a special entrance montage for him, complete with turning out the lights at the ballpark and playing the sound of crackling flames on the public address system while pictures of flames ran around the concourse. And while there were plenty of pitchers throwing very hard that season, he did something completely unprecedented on August 29th when he reached triple digits - on a breaking ball. His "off-speed" pitch, which he calls a "splinker" (a cross between a splitter and a sinker) was timed at 100.8 mph in a game against the Boston Red Sox. The next day, starter Dylan Bundy brought a custom-made cake to the dugout, with the radar gun reading in the frosting, to celebrate the feat, making good on a promise made in a post-game interview when asked about the pitch ("He deserves a cake" was Bundy's response). Duran dispatched with the middle of Boston's batting order on 14 pitches that day at a key moment of the ballgame to earn his 17th hold, in addition to 6 saves up to that point and an ERA of 1.91. He finished his rookie season at 2-4, 1.86 in 57 games with 8 saves and 89 strikeouts in 67 2/3 innings, and his fastest pitch, on September 27th, reached 103.7 mph.

He was back throwing gas out of the back-end of the Twins' bullpen in 2023. On May 24th, he set a new personal record and also the fastest pitch recorded so far in the majors that season when he reached 104.6 mph during his appearance and ended the game by striking out Casey Schmitt of the San Francisco Giants on a pitch timed at 104 mph exactly. His three pitches at 104 or above were the first recorded in MLB that season. He went 3-6, 2.45 in 59 games and recorded 27 saves. In 62 1/3 innings, he allowed just 46 hits and 25 walks while striking out 85 - all numbers that placed him among the small group of elite closers. He made his postseason debut that season, saving both of the Twins' wins against the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card Series; he also appeared twice in their loss to the Houston Astros in the Division Series, and overall, he gave up just 2 hits in 5 innings over the 4 appearances, while striking out 6 batters and walking just 1.

He missed the start of the 2024 season due to an oblique strain, but when he returned on April 30th, he not only recorded the save in a 6-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox, but it also nailed down the Twins' ninth consecutive win to finish the month.

Further Reading

• David Adler: "104.6 mph! Duran's heat sets new velo ceiling for '23", mlb.com, May 24, 2023. [1]
• Do-Hyoung Park: "Could Duran's 'next-level stuff' earn him closer role? Rookie sets franchise record by hitting 102 mph on radar gun", mlb.com, April 12, 2022. [2]
• Do-Hyoung Park: "Fireballing reliever Duran makes history with 'splinker'", mlb.com, August 30, 2022. [3]

Related Sites

• Jhoan Duran on mlb.com