Triston Casas is blossoming into hitter Red Sox hoped he’d become in 2023
"He’s becoming one of the best offensive first basemen in the big leagues.”
The Red Sox’ patience in rookie Triston Casas is finally starting to pay off.
While most of the praise for Boston’s next wave of talent has centered around names like Jarren Duran and Brayan Bello in 2023, Casas has firmly injected himself into the conversations thanks to his latest heater at the plate.
After slashing .193/.308/.359 with six home runs and 49 strikeouts in his first 47 games of the season, the 23-year-old first baseman has completely turned his game around. In his last 30 games, Casas is batting .357 and posting a 1.126 OPS, including eight home runs, 19 RBI, and 15 walks.
He’s managed to be even better since Boston resumed play after the All-Star Break, batting .469 with six home runs and 11 RBI over his last 11 games.
It comes as no surprise that Casas’s rebound performance has coincided with the Red Sox’ second-half surge in the standings. Boston is now 15-5 in its last 20 games and boasts MLB’s best record since June 30.
“I think it’s just been a steady progression for sure,” Casas told MLB.com earlier this week. “I can’t pinpoint exactly when I started to feel more comfortable. But I think as every at-bat has gone on, I’ve felt more and more comfortable at the plate. Things are starting to slow down. I’m starting to get a better awareness of my barrel, trying to get a better feel for my timing as well.”
After slugging a pair of home runs against the Mets (and three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer) on Sunday, Casas tormented another one of the top hurlers in the game on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.
Settling in at the plate against Braves ace Spencer Strider, Casas took an offering from the All-Star in the seventh inning and drove it 410 feet out to center field for his 15th home run of the year.
Boston went on to beat the Braves, 5-3, to complete a two-game sweep at Fenway Park.
After a dreadful start to his first full season in the big leagues, Casas is asserting himself as one of the more poised first basemen in MLB. On the season, Casas is slashing .253/.360/.477 with 15 home runs, 14 doubles, 45 runs, 38 RBIs, and 48 walks over 89 games.
“He’s been able to hit off-speed pitches in the air,” Alex Cora said of Casas on Wednesday night,” per Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. “So if you look at the numbers, he’s up to .250 or whatever. You see the homers, you see the RBIs, the on-base percentage, the OPS. He’s becoming one of the best offensive first basemen in the big leagues.”
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