[1] He moved to the United States to play baseball at Amphitheater High School in Tucson, Arizona, ahead of his junior year.

[2] After going unselected in the 1995 MLB draft, Durazo returned home to work on his father's cattle ranch.

[2] After moving back to Mexico, Durazo signed with the Sultanes de Monterrey of the Mexican League, where he was named the Rookie of the Year in 1997 after batting .282 with eight home runs and 61 RBIs in 110 games.

[2] He hit .350 with 19 home runs and 98 RBIs in 119 games the following season, prompting his manager, Derek Bryant, to alert the Arizona Diamondbacks about the young prospect.

On August 7, Durazo hit his first MLB home run off of a Curt Schilling fastball during an 8–2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Durazo debuted with the Naranjeros de Hermosillo of the Mexican Pacific League (LMP) in 1997–98 and won the Rookie of the Year award after hitting .321 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs.

[14][15] He played 14 of his 15 LMP seasons with Hermosillo, batting .310 to go with 546 hits, 94 home runs, and 339 RBIs in 494 career games.

[15] Durazo led the team to two league titles in the 2000–01 and 2006–07 seasons, earning MVP honors during the latter campaign after batting .344 with 18 home runs and 56 RBIs.

In 2002, he was invited to Washington, D.C. as a guest of Vicente Fox for Cinco de Mayo festivities at the White House, where he met George W.