WORCESTER — An April snowstorm may have postponed the Worcester Red Sox game on April 12, but the weather didn’t delay the team from announcing its second Hall of Fame class.
The Boston Red Sox Triple-A affiliate will enshrine Jarren Duran, Janet Marie Smith and J.P. Ricciardi as the 2025 WooSox Hall of Fame inductees.
“These three represent three different aspects of baseball in Worcester. Each one has played such a key role so far,” WooSox president Dr. Charles Steinberg told the T&G. “Now that you have a half a dozen people in (the WooSox Hall of Fame), you’re starting to get a feel for the family that made this all happen.”
The WooSox Hall of Fame was established in 2024 to recognize the outstanding careers and contributions of former or current WooSox players, managers, coaches, broadcasters and executives, as well as others who have been instrumental in the history of the Worcester Red Sox and Worcester baseball.
In March, the second WooSox Hall of Fame class was chosen by a 17-person panel, which includes club executives, print and broadcast media members, and business and community leaders.
Duran, who had a record-breaking 2024 season that included being named Major League All-Star Game MVP, becomes the first active player to be elected to the WooSox Hall of Fame. The 28-year-old was the first batter in WooSox history when he led off Worcester’s inaugural game on May 4, 2021 in Trenton, New Jersey, against the Buffalo Bisons.
The former seventh-round pick of the Red Sox spent parts of three seasons with the WooSox (2021-23), playing in 139 games with 28 home runs, 80 RBIs and 36 stolen bases.
The current Red Sox outfielder split the 2022 season between Worcester and Boston before putting together an impressive 2023 campaign, when he was named Boston Red Sox Comeback Player of the Year after batting .295 in 102 games.
Duran played in 160 games and was named Red Sox MVP during an outstanding 2024 season. He led the majors in doubles (48) and was tied for first in triples (14). ...
