If one were to look up the quick stats on Lance Durham, one would immediately find out that he is presently the first baseman for the Lansing Lugnuts, that he is only 23 years old, and that while he was originally drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 45th round of the 2006 MLB draft, he is presently with the Toronto Blue Jays organization after being drafted by the team in the 14th round (430th overall) of the 2009 draft.

To find out more about the player behind the numbers, I was fortunate to speak to Durham about his experience so far with the Blue Jays.

After signing in 2009, Durham quickly joined the Auburn Doubledays. There, he started off slow, posting .221 average hitting only four homeruns and 23 RBIS in 63 games. While having a successful walk/strikeout ratio in college, he had a tough time in his first year with the Blue Jays, walking only 21 times while striking out 67.

Durham remained with the Doubledays in 2010, and found that his numbers improved greatly. His average increased to .256, his walk-to-strikeout ratio enhanced, and he was hitting a lot more extra base hits.

His performance earned him a promotion to the Lansing Lugnuts. The change in atmosphere and level of play, however, has been a bit of adjustment for the young prospect. In 49 games at both first base and DH this season, Durham has posted a .181 average with 11 doubles. He however, still shows a lot of promise.

Lance Durham has posted a .181 average with 11 doubles this year with the Lansing Lugnuts

One of the reason for this is the potential he holds as a powerful left-handed bat. What is interesting about this, however, is that he is natually right-handed. In fact, the ability o hit left-handed was taught to him  by his father, Leon Durham, who played in the majors with the Cubs, Reds, and Cardinals. Lance discussed the impact his father has had in his career, admitting that he was his favourite player growing up: “My father was my favourite player growing up because I got to know him both on and off the field. I knew where he came from and I knew everything that he has been through and I admire him for that.”

Despite recognizing how much his father his aided him in his journey to the majors, Durham was also quick to mention how supportive his mother has been as well. Lance admitted, “A lot of people do not know this, but my mother, Angela Durham, has had a great influence on my career if not more than my father. This, however, is not my father’s fault because he was away playing and coaching the game. While he has been there as much as he could, my mother was always there. My father used to ask me all the time if I wanted him to retire, and I continually told him no because I knew how much he loved the game. I was able to do that only because of the support of my mother.”

There is no denying that Durham has had a lot of great games in high school, college, and with the Blue Jays organization. That being said, he was not able to pick one single game or at-bat he would like to highlight; instead, he mentioned, “My favourite moments are when my teammates and I are lining up to slap hands after we win a game, there’s no better feeling than winning and beating a team that you dislike. Another moment is when I am trotting the bases after a long homerun!”

While Durham has proven his talents both at the plate and in the field, he admits that his best skill on the field it hitting for power and adds, “And if you wondering what my best skill is off the field, it would be being some form of entertainment for my family and friends.”

His way of keeping people entertained has certainly been shown through his active involvement on Twitter. Through his handle, @LanceBullDurham, he keeps people all around the world updated with his progress in the minors, yet at the same time, does not hesitate to engage with all of his fans. Discussing the power of social media, Durham stated, “Social media can be tricky because you really have to watch what you say as once you post it it’s there forever and anyone can go back and read it. But that being said, the benefits of having a social network are gaining more fans, fans that would like to know a little bit more about you. I’ve definitely enjoyed it!”

Be sure to add Lance Durham on Twitter and let him know that you are rooting for him just as much as everyone at JaysProspects is!

JaysProspects would like to thank Lance Durham for his time and wish him the best of luck in the future.