Red Sox’s Triston Casas Transforming From Young Slugger To Key Leader

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Triston Casas spent his first full major league season with the Red Sox as a young slugger, hitting 24 home runs with an .856 OPS to finish third in American League Rookie of the Year voting.

Entering his second full season in 2024, the Boston first baseman is moving ahead of his years and working to become a key leader in the clubhouse. So far, Boston manager Alex Cora among others have seen Casas rise in that role over the last few months.

Casas took steps in that regard this winter with a series of baseball trips including to the Red Sox academy in the Dominican Republic, Trevor Story's infield camp in Texas and rookie development camp this past week in Boston.

"They've been talking to me about that type of vocal leadership really since the day I got called up," Casas told reporters on Saturday during Red Sox Winter Weekend at the MassMututal Center. "They wanted to try to integrate that into my game. Not so much from a following standpoint where I want to lead people by example or with my words, but with an accountability type of thing."

Like Story, Casas does not see himself as a natural leader. For the better of the future for the Red Sox, the young infielder is working on that trait to develop.

"Absolutely not, it's something that I had to work on," Casas explained. "Vulnerability is not a comfortable characteristic to get exposed for anybody. There are times last year and even now that I'll say and I'm not going to do. Effort, energy and attitude are always things that you can control. I think everybody understands that in the locker room that I try to give advice to."

As a talented player and a free personality, Casas will not only be in the middle of the lineup but also in the center of Red Sox culture for years to come.