Triston Casas proved to be a difference maker in his debut with the Boston Red Sox.
Making his Major League Baseball debut in a win over the Texas Rangers, Casas didn't just show off his highly touted bat, but flashed the leather throughout his debut performance. Casas was tested early while fielding a pair of ground balls in the first inning for pitcher Josh Winckowski. Boston's No. 2 prospect later made his best defensive play on a hard-hit grounder in the third inning, saving a run in the process.
When asked by NESN's Jahmai Webster about his defense following the contest, Casas was clear in how he felt.
"I take a lot of pride in my defense," Casas said, as seen on NESN's postgame coverage. "Getting hits is cool, driving in runs is great, but picking up everybody on defense, it affects everybody. It affects the bullpen, everyone else on the infield. So, I'm glad I made those picks there."
The 22-year-old wasn't the only person who noticed his solid play at first, as his manager Alex Cora made sure to point it out following the game.
"We're playing good baseball right now, we're playing good defense," Cora said. "Getting all those guys back, defensively, we're a lot better. You saw the kid (Casas) at first base, too. He was pretty solid."
Moving forward, it is expected Casas sees a lot of time at first, which should come as welcome news for Red Sox fans.
