BOSTON — Triston Casas pays close enough attention to the Red Sox minor league system that he can tell you about catcher Kyle Teel’s footwork.
“My first impression of him was that I was really impressed with his footwork behind the plate,” Casas said. “I thought he moves really well for a catcher. I feel like he can play any outfield position, too, honestly just the way his speed translates to the field.”
Casas didn’t use the word “leader” but it sure sounds like he wants to be a leader when Teel, Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and other top Red Sox prospects reach the majors.
“Hopefully I can gather the experience to help those guys when they do come up here,” the 24-year-old first baseman said.
Casas learned a great deal about himself as a rookie in 2023. He went just 10-for-75 (.133 batting average) during the first month, then went on to finish third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting.
“I got into a mindset last year of I wanted to come up and carry the team and carry the lineup,” Casas said. “It bothered me when I wasn’t. But once I stepped back and realized there’s a learning curve and there’s other guys like JT (Justin Turner) and (Adam) Duvall — those guys that were there for me so I didn’t have to do that heavy lifting — that took the pressure off me and just let me be myself. It’s all about who’s supposed to be doing the damage in the lineup.”
Casas wants to be viewed as one the veteran hitters carrying the lineup when Anthony, Mayer, Teel and others arrive. He doesn’t want them to feel like they need to do too much.
“What I realized, it’s just about who at the time is supposed to carry the lineup,” Casas said. “I don’t think anybody expects a rookie to come up and tear the league up and just hit the ground running and carry our lineup. I think we’re going to lean on guys who are experienced. I’m getting to that point where the younger guys are going to look to me to start producing just like we look at Raffy Devers, just like we look at Tyler (O’Neill).
“There’s going to be a transition period and a learning curve for all those guys,” Casas added. “The better I can be as a player, the better Raffy can be, we can carry the lineup so those guys don’t have to. We can take the pressure off of them so they can just go out and play and be themselves. Even if they do struggle, just know that nobody is counting on them to carry the lineup. And if they produce and they do well, all the better.”
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Casas has the ability to be the centerpiece of this future young core. He has 35-40 homer potential. He also has shown he can be among the league leaders in on-base percentage because of his elite plate discipline. As a rookie, he finished in the 93rd percentile among qualified major league hitters in walk percentage (13.9%), 86th percentile in chase percentage (22.1%) and 92nd percentile in expected weighted on-base percentage (.370).
“Hopefully with the experience that I gather at this level on and off the field, I can shed some light as to what’s really important within all those battles to those younger guys,” Casas said. “That’s what I’m trying to focus on every day. I’m trying to figure out what’s important and what to pass down with that knowledge. Because if I have a lot of it, it’s just a matter of what to keep reiterating and passing down.”
Asked about being the centerpiece, Casas replied, “It’s really exciting to be considered a centerpiece of that core if you’re bringing it up to me. But the one we have here is ultimately who I’m learning from. So I’m just really happy to be around these guys. Even the new guys who have come in here.”
He mentioned O’Neill and even injured reliever Liam Hendriks as players he learns from now.
“I’m really excited to be a part of this current (core) and hopefully a future one for a really long time after that,” Casas said.
Anthony has a similar selective, disciplined plate approach as Casas does. The 19-year-old center fielder had an excellent 17.5% walk percentage (86 walks, 491 plate appearances) between Low-A Salem, High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland in his first full professional season in ‘23. Anthony’s .403 on-base percentage was second among Red Sox minor leaguers (minimum 395 at-bats, min. 100 games) behind only Chase Meidroth (.408).
“I think being a really great hitter starts with having a good, selective eye at the plate,” Casas said. “So the fact that he’s walking at those rates in the minor leagues where typically guys are a little bit more inclined to throw strikes and attack the zone is pretty impressive. So hopefully he keeps that trend. But I’m more impressed with the quality of swings that he does take. When I do watch him and his at-bats, he always seems like in control of the at-bat. I guess it goes hand in hand with the walk rate but you barely see him chase out of the zone at pitches that aren’t in the area he’s looking for.”
Casas requested to attend the Red Sox rookie development program at Fenway in January. He wanted to be around the young players, a group that included Teel, Anthony and Mayer.
“In the little time I’ve been around him (Anthony), he has a good head on his shoulder,” Casas said. “He seems like he’s in a good mental space. That’s a sign of great things to come. And the walk rate is definitely something that he’s going to need to continue because the stuff (from pitchers) only keeps getting better.”
The Red Sox drafted the 22-year-old Teel 14th overall out of Virginia in 2023. He made it to Double-A Portland less than two months after being drafted. He entered Tuesday batting .351 with a .467 on-base percentage, .496 slugging percentage and .963 OPS in his first 31 minor league games (137 plate appearances). He has a 17.0% walk percentage so far in the minors.
“At the plate, he’s so quick-twitched, I feel like he gets to any pitch on the inner part of the plate, which helps him cover the other areas as well,” Casas said. “I think he’s in a really good spot right now. And that Double A team is really stacked. So hopefully he can anchor that Double-A staff.”
Casas specifically mentioned Wikelman Gonzalez and eventually Luis Perales — Boston’s top two pitching prospects who both are on the 40-man roster — as pitchers Teel can help develop. Gonzalez is in Portland. Perales is pitching for High-A Greenville to begin the season.
“Groom that next wave of pitchers,” Casas said. “I’m really excited for him as well. I got to see him in live at-bats (in spring training) on the backfields. And just the way he takes his at-bats he’s very intentional with his takes. He knows exactly what he’s trying to do against these pitchers. So I think he’s going to have just as much success out of all of those guys, if not the most. He’s the college guy. He came in more polished in terms of experience. I think he’s going to have a fast track to the big leagues if he keeps doing what he’s doing.”
The 21-year-old Mayer, the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft, is off to a hot start this season after an injury-plagued 2023 (shoulder inflammation). The shortstop is 11-for-32 (.344) with a .371 on-base percentage, .500 slugging percentage, one homer, two doubles, seven runs, five RBIs, two steals, two walks and nine strikeouts in eight games for Portland. Like Anthony, Teel and Casas, Mayer also has shown a disciplined approach at the plate with a 12.7% walk percentage in 918 plate appearances. That includes a 9% walk rate last year.
“And that’s with him playing banged up last year,” Casas said. “I think going into this year he’s feeling a lot better with his shoulder and we’re going to see those percentages go up hopefully. I’m really a fan of his game. Obviously just like Roman, sweet left-handed swing. He can definitely pick it at shortstop. But it’s going to be about staying healthy for him because we all know he has the talent when he’s on the field to be an impact bat in the middle of the order and play an elite defensive shortstop.
“So it’s just a matter if he can stay healthy and continue doing what he’s doing,” Casas added. “Because we all believe in him. He wouldn’t have been the fourth overall pick for no reason. So I think he has a really bright future. But it’s going to be about him staying on the field.”
Ceddanne Rafaela also will be part of this young core long-term after signing an eight-year, $50 million contract extension earlier this month. The Red Sox feel Rafaela has the ability to be a Gold Glove center fielder and plus defender at shortstop.
“We’ve gotten to see a glimpse of what he can do and I think it’s going to come down to him taking his walks, staying inside the zone,” Casas said about Rafaela. “Because when he puts the barrel on the ball, to all fields he has a lot of pop. And he can go get it in center field. We’ve all been able to see his range going in each direction. He’s going to be a really exciting player with an impact on the bases as well. He’s got a really bright future. But it’s just going to be about him staying inside the zone and staying within himself at the plate.”
Rafaela does need to show more patience. He has struck out in 28.7% of his plate appearances in the major leagues so far.
“It’s really exciting,” Casas said. “I want to get to play with hopefully all of them. There’s so many guys in the organization that you didn’t mention as well that are going to have a chance to come up here and make an impact as well. I really like the group we have in the minors.”
