Seriously… if his growth between 2022 and 2023 is an indicator, the Red Sox are in for a treat.

2023 In One Sentence

Triston Casas’ rookie year started with growing pains but ended with big moments, and he’s going to be a mainstay on this roster for years to come.

The Positives

Remember the rumors we heard going into the 2023 campaign that Triston Casas would be dealt for a rotation piece like Pablo Lopez? I think I can speak for everyone when I say that, even with the pitching staff’s lack of arms that can go six innings or more, thank goodness that didn’t happen.

After being called up on September 4, 2022, Casas finished his 27-game audition with a .197 batting average and 5 home runs. Despite the low batting average and 24.2% strikeout rate, he was drawing walks just as often as Ks, which is something of an anomaly, especially for a young gargantuan like Casas who likes to hit monster homers (and, being 6’4”, 238 lbs, how could he not?)

I’ll leave his skills at the plate alone for a minute to say that his demeanor is a welcome addition for a team that only managed 78 wins. Baseball needs less stuffy, traditional behavior and more guys stretching out on the Fenway grass before games. Also, I’m of the mindset that his Twitter — I mean, X — needs to be archived and stored in the Baseball Hall of Fame, no matter how his career turns out. Take this, for example:

I, personally, love the judgment of any guy that chooses to hit “send tweet” on a thought like that. How great it is that he’s not even in his arbitration years until 2026? By then, we might have spaceships for Casas to pontificate about. The sky isn’t the limit, it’s the floor.

After a tough start where he was still striking out quite a bit, he ended the season with an OPS of .857, leading the team. He got his batting average up to .263 before his season was cut short with a shoulder ailment on September 15. By that point, we had seen enough… Casas was solid. Also impressive were his 24 long balls, which placed him second overall on the Sox and third for first basemen in the AL. Since he’s known as a power hitter, I will state that Baseball Savant had his exit velocity measured at 5.1 MPH quicker than it was in 2022. He also barely grounds into double plays relative to the rest of the team, which is comforting for a guy who usually bats right in the center of the lineup and can’t really run. And, of course, he’s damn patient at the plate, leading the team in walks, with 70.

Casas is a top three finalist for the AL Rookie of the Year, to be announced on November 13. That’s probably going to Gunnar Henderson, but, still, I’m very grateful Triston is here.

The Negatives

Could he be even more patient? No one could have anticipated that he’d keep up the 20% walk rate he displayed in his short 2022 stint. But the 13.9% rate he put up last year was the lowest mark he’s had in his professional career (since being picked up by Dave Dombrowski in 2018 — you knew I’d throw in an accolade for Dombo!) I guess I can also say, too, that while you’re marveling at how strong of a hitter he can be, you may notice that he isn’t a good baserunner. To which I’d say, yes, at almost 250 pounds, the absolute unit isn’t known for his speed. In fact, he had zero stolen bases in 2023, and has just one in his Major League career.

And while his fielding has improved, he’s also still not what I’d call fantastic with the glove… and that’s putting it lightly. His -10 outs above average defensively was tied for the 13th-worst in all of baseball, and third-worst among first basemen. As I stated last week in my Devers piece, this team’s defense is a liability and a good place to start in figuring out why the team played so poorly. Having Devers be so poor at defense is one thing; and Casas being poor at first can be forgiven in a vacuum. But couple both with the uncertainty the Red Sox had in the middle of the infield in 2023, and it was simply a disaster. Either everyone needs to improve by a little, gradually, or one player needs to step it up considerably – but I won’t pretend to have the answers here.

Best Game Or Moment

434 feet, oppo. Like Devers, he can cream a fastball. Or in this case, a sinker, which, along with sliders, he also fares well with.

The Big Question/2024 and Beyond

Fitting this all in one question because it’s one and the same: How long will he be around and how much of an impact will he make? I’m not a fortune teller, but if I was, I’d say, at LEAST a few years, if not most of his career, after making a pretty good impact.

Not that I thought Justin Turner would be playing in Boston forever, nor was it particularly a surprise to see him opt out for greener pastures (money joke) after one successful season at Fenway, but I hoped Casas would split some first base and DH time with a couple of guys next season. Turner’s likely departure gives headway for Casas to, as my sub-heading suggests, prove he has staying power for years to come.

Craig Breslow, who will be Casas’ and the Red Sox’s third GM in five years, has enough to fix in his first couple of years — rotation arms, figuring out this second base question, putting the bullpen together, dealing with a replacement level catching tandem, etc. If I’m Breslow, which, man, do I wish I had a Yale degree, I’m not fixing what’s not broken. In the meantime, I’m living vicariously through Casas and tweeting whatever enters my mind while suntanning — mental luxuries I can afford when, in times of uncertainty, at least one member of this team is close to a sure thing for a couple years.