Triston Casas sure looks like a can’t-miss Red Sox prospect, but he is not rushing things
Following 115 online games and more than 500 plate appearances, Casas finally created it back property to South Florida past weekend. However as he ready to head home, he was already on the lookout in advance to kicking off his offseason workout program. His supposed date to get started readying for 2022?
“The Friday after Thanksgiving,” Casas explained just lately in Mesa, Ariz. “I selected that mainly because I figured all people else would start out the next Monday.”
Such an solution comes as little shock to anybody who has crossed paths with the ginormous 1st baseman. His pursuit of enhancement has been tireless considering that the Crimson Sox drafted him out of significant college in the to start with round in 2018.
He is fascinated by the artwork of hitting and nearly anything he can do to gain even more mastery over it. He sights baseball a lot less as a job than a vocation.
“I feel about it all the time,” he claimed. “When I’m not playing baseball, I’m watching baseball. In the offseasons, when I’m not doing work out or in between my exercise sessions, I ordinarily arrive home and I participate in MLB The Exhibit on my observe and look at MLB Network on the Tv set on top of the monitor.
“A large amount of individuals explain to me which is not a good way to go about it mainly because I’ll burn off myself out. But I experience like I’ve been feeding the obsession as opposed to burning out. The more that I enjoy, the additional I really like it.

“Every selection I make is geared to striving to be the ideal baseball participant that I can be on and off the subject, from how considerably I sleep to what I eat to every thing in amongst. I like the activity. It consumes me. It is a seriously excellent obsession to have.”
Methods won’t be skipped
Casas approaches his craft with a burning desire to excel but blends that sentiment with one that appears at odds. He is identified as just one of the leading prospective customers in the video game (Baseball The united states pegged him at No. 15 in mid 2021), and his efficiency in assisting Crew United states of america to a silver medal led to speculation that he could be a late-year callup to Boston, particularly when the Pink Sox infield was decimated by COVID in September.
The Sox, nevertheless, considered it was not in his interests to skip progress steps. Casas, who experienced performed just one whole insignificant league period right before 2021, agreed.
“Slowly but absolutely, I’m finding there, to the position I want to get to, to experience like I’m prepared to be a major league contributing baseball player,” claimed Casas. “I personally did not truly feel like I was completely ready to participate in at that degree. I know one particular day I will be.
“For as good as a season as I place with each other, I feel like I really really don’t know myself that properly to be in a position to make those changes at the large league degree on a dependable basis when also contributing at these kinds of a superior amount for a successful business.”
Casas embraces the notion he’s not a completed solution, even as he has been able to hold his own at each and every amount at which he’s performed. He led all Olympians by driving in 8 operates, tied for the guide with a few homers, then strike .372/.495/.487 in the AFL, primary the prospect showcase league in on-foundation percentage.

At 6 feet 5 inches and 250 pounds, he is a massive presence in the lefthanded batter’s box, making it effortless to foresee 30-homer prospective. However to this issue, he has been additional focused on establishing as an all-all-around hitter — a thing that gets to be apparent when watching him hit with two strikes.
Although he sets up early in counts with his front foot at the back again of the plate in get to integrate a stride to generate far more ability, with two strikes, he chokes up on the bat and anchors his front foot at the entrance of the plate.
With less transferring parts and a a lot more compact stroke, he is in a position to emphasis on speak to more than driving the ball. He embraces capturing a two-strike one by means of the infield as a profitable at-bat.

Nonetheless that approach has led to reasonably modest electrical power totals. Casas hit “just” 14 homers between Double A and Triple A this 12 months, putting up a .277/.381/.491 line. Good in its have correct, and great as just one of the youngest gamers at both equally degrees.
On the doorstep?
Quite a few evaluators imagine that, over time, Casas will trade some of his “hit” device for electrical power — using additional likelihood on driving pitches early in counts and perhaps even late in them. Yet he rejects the premise, believing that homers will arrive simply as an outgrowth of his present-day method.
“I like the participant that I am ideal now, and I like the way that I’m trending,” reported Casas. “I hope that it doesn’t just occur up from up best or from any person else in the firm that mainly suggests, ‘This is what you are going to do, and if not, we really don’t see you fitting right here.’
“I should not have to try out to hit for electrical power to strike house runs. I have not place up outrageous energy numbers in phrases of home runs and slug, but this year I hit for typical, I was on foundation a ton, I was taking my walks. I come to feel like that is all trending towards getting a far better electrical power hitter.
“As I get more robust, as I get into parks in which the ball flies a very little more, I experience like the electric power numbers are likely to come with the similar amount of money of on-foundation and the identical volume of batting normal. I don’t think I’ll ever adjust for ability.”
He exudes assurance in who he is — or, maybe additional properly, who he will be. Casas will open up up coming period back again in Worcester, suggesting that he is on the doorstep to the massive leagues. Nevertheless he expresses considerably less problem about when he’ll get there than he does about the kind of player he can be when he receives there.
“I really do not have any objectives,” reported Casas. “I just know that I’m 1 of the most proficient gamers in this corporation. I know that I will have a great stable demonstrating at the main league degree at a upcoming time, and I know that when I do go up there, I want a one particular-way ticket. I don’t want to occur again down to the minor leagues. That’s why I’m so client with that process.
“I really don’t want to be a fringe big league player. I want to be an effects participant from the begin and in no way go back again to the minor leagues. I want to lead to profitable Globe Sequence, go to All-Star Online games, and do all those people matters ideal from day just one.
“I occur to the subject with the starvation to get greater and strive for greatness every single solitary day. Which is the tactic I’m likely to consider into following yr.”
Right after virtually a 7 days devoid of baseball, it is an solution that Casas is completely ready to begin anew Friday.
Alex Speier can be arrived at at [email protected]. Abide by him on Twitter at @alexspeier.