C’s Chat – 2025 Vancouver Canadians C #20 Edward Duran – C's Plus Baseball

This C’s Chat goes behind the dish with 2025 Vancouver Canadians catcher Edward Duran.

The Caracas, Venezuela native was the player to be named later in a 2022 trade deadline deal that saw the Toronto Blue Jays acquire relievers Anthony Bass and Zach Pop from the Miami Marlins for infielder Jordan Groshans, the latter a high school teammate of 2019, 2021-2022 C’s pitcher Adam Kloffenstein.

The Miami Marlins signed Duran as an international free agent on January 15, 2021, and gave him a signing bonus of $450,000. He spent two seasons with the Dominican Summer League Marlins, batting .340 in 2021 and .224 in 2022 and drawing a walk over 11 percent of the time over a combined 62 games. Duran got an inning’s worth of experience in the Venezuelan Winter League where he played an inning of first base and contributed an RBI double in his lone plate appearance for the Caribes de Anzoategui.

Duran’s debut in the Toronto organization came in 2023 where he split time between the Florida Complex League and Dunedin Blue Jays. In 41 games total, Duran slashed .315/.422/.417 (AVG/OBP/SLG) and belted his first two home runs in professional ball, one at each stop. The entirety of 2024 for Duran was spent in Dunedin, where he played 78 games and drove in 41 runs with an on-base percentage of .346. He racked up 15 doubles, stole 15 bases in 18 tries and added a pair of triples in his first full season of full-season ball.

After dabbling at first base in which he made 27 starts over four seasons, Duran only donned the catcher’s gear in 2025. Offseason work with Dunedin position coach Rodrigo Vigil paid off behind the pentagon as Duran threw out 33 base stealers with the D-Jays. At the plate, Duran enjoyed his best stretch as a professional by rattling off a 22-game hitting streak for all 22 games played in May which saw him slash .345/.422/.563 with 11 extra-base hits.

An OPS of .817 over 66 games resulted in Duran getting promoted to Vancouver. It took awhile to adjust to the pitchers in the Northwest League but he finished strong by homering in back-to-back games against Tri-City on August 24 (with his home run accounting for the game-winning run) and in Hillsboro on August 26. That was part of a 10-game hitting streak to end the season.

The next stop for Duran was the Arizona Fall League, where he played nine games for the Glendale Desert Dogs. All five of his hits went for extra bases, including two doubles, and he drove in seven runs.

MLB Pipeline took note of Duran’s solid 2025 campaign and ranked him the 13th-best prospect in the Toronto Blue Jays system.

“Despite the improved offensive numbers, Duran still earns his best marks for his defensive work. A better runner out of the box than many catchers, he translates that into his athleticism behind the plate, and after transitioning to a one-knee-down setup this season, his receiving has become a major strength. He’s also cut down significantly on his passed balls. Duran can throw darts to second base, blending arm strength with quick reactions, but he needs to get the ball on the bag more for his caught-stealing rate to match his tools.

Duran, who looks relaxed in a straightened stance before employing a leg kick, added some pop to his profile with his average exit velocity jumping from 84.7 mph in the Florida State League in 2024 to 87.5 at the same level in ’25. His hard-hit rate also took a nice boost, but his expected numbers were still well below his traditional stats in Dunedin before the promotion. Duran is most likely to have an OBP-driven profile on the offensive side while his defensive work fuels his climb.”

View this post on Instagram

C’s Plus Baseball chatted with the 21-year-old Duran during the C’s early August series against Hillsboro. Friend of the blog Domingo Guarenas from the Home Plate 33 podcast provided the translation. This interview has been edited for clarity.

C’s Plus Baseball – Edward, I just want to ask how your baseball career started. When did it all start for you?

Edward Duran (translated by Domingo Guarenas) – It started when I was very young. My Dad actually used to play softball. It actually started there. It’s not baseball but I always wanted to be like my Dad. So I was able to follow in my Dad’s footsteps. I started when I was actually four (years old). That’s when my baseball passion actually started.

CPB – Did your Dad play professionally or at a high level?

ED – No, he only played for fun with his friends at work and those kinds of things. He always brought me around.

CPB – When did you first start being a catcher?

ED – I worked really, really hard to be an outfielder from the very beginning. But as I was actually starting to develop, when I was actually between 10 and 12 years old, every single academy kept pushing me to actually be a catcher because of my stature and because of my arm. The final academy (Caribes Academy) just kinda said I actually had to make the transition from the outfield to catcher and then that’s where everything settled.

CPB – You signed with Miami originally. How exciting was that to sign that first contract and become a professional ball player?

ED – It was an absolute shock and all of a sudden, a lot of happiness because it was the Marlins. It was actually close for my family to be able to enjoy not only where I was actually living but for them to be part of the whole experience of actually signing as a professional. Being from South America, especially Venezuela, you have to sign very early. You have to make that decision really, really early. It was a tough decision to actually leave very early but at the same time, it was a very emotional time because I was able to actually include my family as part of the signing process. I was not doing it alone. I was doing it with my family.

CPB – What was it like getting used to your first year as a a professional player?

ED – One of the hardest parts was the consistency aspect of things. The mental aspect of it. The consistency side. It’s all about working hard. The repetition aspect of it over and over again. But it’s not only on the field, but also off the field. You have to make sure you develop not only as a baseball player, but also as a human being.

CPB – You wind up with the Blue Jays organization. What was that like for you?

ED – It was a shock to begin with because I was actually with the (Marlins) organization for only two years. It was really hard for me to understand the process why I was actually being traded and if I was actually doing something wrong at the beginning. But one of the best things that has happened to me is to actually join (the Blue Jays) organization because of the culture of family that this organization has. I’m very happy with how everybody has actually welcomed me not only to be a part of this organization, but to be part of this family.

CPB – Do you remember who it was that contacted you from the Blue Jays to welcome you to the team?

ED – I don’t remember exactly, but I think it was (director of player development) Joe Sclafani. It could also have been John Tamargo and José Mayorga. I don’t know exactly, but José was one of them.

CPB – This year, things were really going well for you this year in Dunedin. What’s been the key to your success?

ED – The key thing that has actually helped me out is understanding what kind of player I am and trusting the process and the consistency i have actually put in in the off-season. Just understanding not only what kind of player I am and where I can help the team. Not trying to do too much but just understanding I’m this kind of player. I can trust what I’ve worked on and make sure I can put that into play and not trying to overdo things.

CPB – I want to ask about your catching. What would you say is your biggest strength as a catcher? And what do you think you still have to work on?

ED – The key thing that we’ve actually worked on really, really hard is actually the blocking aspect of it. It has actually evolved quite a bit. Even though one of the strengths that I have had is my arm and actually being to get a lot of runners out trying to steal, one of the things I actually really have to work on is the accuracy of the throws. The accuracy is sometimes not there. And also adjusting to the new pitchers and the new set of signs and that sort of stuff.

CPB – What it is like working with the pitchers? How are you able to learn a pitching staff?

ED – One of the things that has been absolutely critical for me is actually my personality. I’m actually very open minded and I always like to talk to my pitchers. Not only what the scouting report might say but they’re the ones who can actually tell you what’s actually working and what’s not working. So being open with the pitchers has allowed me to be there (for them) and actually remember those things instead of having to memorize them.

CPB – I want to ask you about your hitting. What is your approach when you step into the batter’s box?

ED – I’m a very aggressive kind of hitter. And I consider myself a powerful contact hitter. My expectation when I get on the plate is actually to stay back and make sure to actually drive the ball. Not necessarily trying to hit it out of the park but make hard contact.

CPB – How have you found it hitting here at Nat Bailey Stadium and this league in general as compared to Dunedin?

ED – Baseball is baseball regardless of where you play but one of the key things is patience. That’s what I’ve learned since I got here. Sometimes you hit the ball really, really hard and it just doesn’t go. As long as you have patience, keep working on the basics and actually make sure that you hit the ball hard, everything (will work out) but patience is the key.

CPB – Did you have a favourite major league team or player growing up?

ED – Since the age of 10 when I was an outfielder and that was actually my passion, Bryce Harper. Especially because of his swagger and his swing.

CPB – Final question. The Canadians have lots of different uniforms-black, red, blue, white, grey, the lumberjack uniform. What is your favourite?

ED – The lumberjack is my favourite. I like it a lot.

Edward Duran File

Born – May 29, 2004, in Caracas, Venezuela.
Height/Weight – 5’ 11”, 210 pounds
Bats/Throws – Right/Right
Uniform Numbers – Wore number 37 for the Dominican Summer League Marlins in 2021. Wore number 50 for the Florida Complex League Blue Jays and 30 and 32 for the Dunedin Blue Jays in 2023. Wore number 12 for Dunedin in 2024 and 2025.
Professional Debut – July 19, 2021, for DSL Marlins at DSL Astros. Entered game as defensive replacement behind the plate.
First Professional Hit – July 22, 2021, for DSL Marlins vs. DSL Cleveland Blue. Singled off Albert Breton.
First Professional Home Run – June 30, 2023, for FCL Blue Jays vs FCL Phillies off Giussepe Velasquez.
C’s Debut – July 18, 2025, vs. Spokane. Singled off Konner Eaton.
First C’s Home Run – August 24, 2025, vs. Tri-City Dust Devils. Homered off Yeferson Vargas.
Walkup Music – “The Largest” by BigXthaPlug.
Instagram – @edwarduran05
Now You Know – Duran and 2017 C’s infielder Kevin Vicuña both saw time with the Caribes de Anzoategui in the Venezuelan Winter League during the 2022-2023 campaign.