It sounds like Triston Casas can’t wait to take aim at the Green Monster.
The Boston Red Sox selected Casas with the No. 26 pick in the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday night, giving the organization an 18-year-old corner infielder with power to all fields. It’ll likely be a few years before Casas reaches the big league level, but the Florida native expressed excitement over joining the Red Sox, who hosted him for a pre-draft visit at Fenway Park that left an impression.
“It was a great experience, going to Boston. It was my first time in Boston and in Massachusetts, so I really enjoyed my time there,” Casas told reporters during a conference call Monday night, per MLB.com. “I really loved the city and I love the build of it and I love the way that Fenway fit right in the middle of it, just like another building.
“I’m really excited and I can’t be more happy with the way today turned out. I feel like the park suits my swing well, and hopefully, I get up to the big league club soon and make an impact.”
Casas, a left-handed hitter, is listed at 6-foot-4, 238 pounds. He played third base at American Heritage High School in Florida, but there’s a chance he could move across the diamond at the professional level. The Red Sox are drafting him mainly for his bat, though, and Casas has an advanced approach at the plate in addition to impressive raw power that has drawn rave reviews from scouts.
“I’ve kind of had that ability ever since I started playing baseball,” Casas said, per MLB.com. “It was preached to me at a young age to hit the ball to all fields and try to become a complete hitter, because I knew I was going to become big and strong, so at that point it was just having the ability to barrel up balls and the balls that I got a little backspin on happened to go out of the yard, so it was instilled to me at a young age to try to become a complete hitter and let the power come.”
Casas has a commitment to the University of Miami, but the Red Sox shouldn’t have much of a problem signing the young slugger. He already admitted it’ll be hard for him to turn down an opportunity to join the Red Sox, meaning it likely won’t be long before Casas joins the club’s farm system and begins his quest toward The Show.
“Coming into the day I definitely knew a couple of teams were interested, and just depended on the way the board fell,” Casas said. “I’m glad the way the board fell and I feel like Boston’s a great fit for me and I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out, to be honest.”
