The Red Sox hope to bounce back from a last-place finish in the American League East last season, and they will rely on a mix of younger players and newcomers to do so.
Veteran pitcher Corey Kluber is excited for his first season in Boston, and Tanner Houck will be playing with a “chip on his shoulder” after his 2022 was cut short due to injury.
But ESPN’s David Schoenfield identified a different player on the Red Sox in his list of “most intriguing” player for every MLB team: Triston Casas.
“Chris Sale might be the most important player on the roster, but Casas is the most intriguing,” Schoenfield wrote Wednesday. “A hulking first baseman — he’s listed at 6-foot-4, 252 pounds — Casas has been a top-100 prospect for several years now. He has an interesting profile, however, as he hasn’t hit for high averages nor for huge power in the minors (career minor league average of .269), so there is still a lot of projection feeding into his evaluation.
“Kiley McDaniel ranked him 37th on his 2023 Top 100 list, and Casas did showcase a nice approach (19 walks, 23 strikeouts) in his 27-game stint with the Red Sox at the end of 2022. Kiley also made an Anthony Rizzo comp — minus the good defense — and that’s certainly a best-case scenario as a power/walks guy with a high on-base percentage, but I’ll be honest: I kind of see Justin Smoak here.”
Casas is expected to be Boston’s starting first baseman after Eric Hosmer was released this offseason. The 23-year-old is a potential candidate to win AL Rookie of the Year, and Casas knows he will have to fulfill the expectations that are set for him. If he does, it will mark a bright future with the Red Sox.
