Promising Start: Red Sox’s Triston Casas Still ‘Figuring Out’ Swing

Boston Red Sox rookie Triston Casas is 151 games into his career, giving everyone a pretty good idea of what kind of player he can be.

Casas has slashed .257/.368/.486 over the course of his brief stint in Major League Baseball, totaling 122 hits, 28 home runs, 21 doubles and 72 RBIs. Those are just the numbers, however.

The most interesting thing we’ve learned about Casas has come in his mannerisms and approach to the game. We’re talking about a guy who tans in the outfield grass before games, notifies umpires of his tendency to call games from inside the batters box and can recall almost every minute detail from each game he’s involved in.

That’s why it is so interesting to hear his take on the art of hitting, which isn’t so much an art as it is a science, according to the 23-year-old.

“It’s more of a science. There are numbers involved that can help you, and if you know how to use them accurately, they can pretty much give you a formula for how to have the most success at the plate,” Casas told David Laurila of FanGraphs in mid August. “Every pitch has a certain characteristic based off the vertical and horizontal movement and the vertical entry angle. Your swing has a certain attack angle into the zone that has to match that pitch characteristic. If it does perfectly, you’re going to have a really good result. More importantly, if you match it, you don’t have to be perfect in terms of the timing, because you’re matching that plane.”

The numbers we mentioned above are more than respectable, but the steady climb has been what is so astonishing for Casas. His OPS since the All-Star break is 1.111. In that 46-game span, the first baseman has belted 14 home runs and reached via walk 25 times.

The 162-game average for those numbers would give him 49 home runs and 88 walks, as well as 116 RBIs.

It has been a slow burn to get to this point, but Casas is now one of the most productive rookies in the entire American League, which has seen him re-enter the race for AL Rookie of the Year. The best part for Red Sox fans? He believes he’s just getting started.

“I’m just working on the phase of figuring out my swing, knowing that it’s going to continue to change and morph.”

Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas

“You never master hitting. That’s the beautiful thing about it,” Casas told Laurila. “… (Justin Turner) might be able to relate to me, because that’s something he’s gone through and worked through, but at the same time, we can’t relate. We’re not on the same wavelength, because he’s had thousands more at-bats than I’ve had. Eventually, hopefully, I will get to that level. For now, I’m just working on the phase of figuring out my swing, knowing that it’s going to continue to change and morph.”

If this is Casas just now “figuring out” his swing, then what will it look like when he does put it all together? The Red Sox might just find out very soon.

You can watch Casas and the Red Sox attempt to win their series with the Rays on Wednesday live on NESN. First pitch from Tropicana Field is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET, following an hour of pregame coverage.