Triston Casas caught the attention of his Red Sox teammates before he even stepped on the field Sunday for his Major League Baseball debut against the Texas Rangers.
Casas, the No. 2 prospect in the organization, presented an extremely calm demeanor with his pregame routine and it carried on into Boston’s 5-2 victory over Texas.
“Seems pretty relaxed, you know? Surprised me a little bit,” Red Sox second baseman Trevor Story said with a smirk, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I remember I was super nervous in my debut and, you know, couldn’t sit still. But it surprised me how relaxed and because he knows this is where he’s supposed to be.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora noted how the moment didn’t seem too big for Casas during his postgame remarks, as well.
It helped the youngster impress when he got on the field. Cora praised him for his defense after the first baseman made a handful of plays at the bag, including one in the third inning which saved a run. Casas also recorded his first MLB hit as he made contact in each of his four plate appearances.
“I’m super excited for him and, as you can see, he’s 100% ready for the moment,” Red Sox starting pitcher Josh Winckowski said, as seen on NESN. “He prepares with the best of them and I think it shows out there, a few good plays in the first, some really good at-bats today. So super excited for him. He’s ready for the moment.”
The comments from Story and Winckowski came after fellow first baseman Eric Hosmer, who went to the same high school as Casas and is someone the 22-year-old views as a mentor, shared his belief that Casas has a bright future ahead.
“He’s had this mindset and this goal that he knew he belonged in the big leagues. And every time I talked to him after that you could see he just kept maturing and kept working toward that goal,” Hosmer said, as seen on NESN. “He’s finally here now and I think everybody in Boston should be excited, everyone in baseball should be excited.
Hosmer added: “He’s the truth, man. He can hit. … I’ve always kind of said he’s like a mix of (Joey) Votto and (Freddie) Freeman in how he hits, he’s got a wide stance, same set ups to both those guys, kind of looks like both those hitters blended together. So between that, his physical ability and his mindset, I think it’s special things to come.”
Cora acknowledged how Casas will get plenty of time with the Red Sox moving forward. The spot at first base now is open for the 2018 first-round pick with Hosmer on the shelf and Bobby Dalbec down in Triple-A Worcester.
The Red Sox return to action Monday as they open a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. ET, and you can watch it live on NESN after an hour of pregame coverage.
