Future Red Sox Star Takes MLBN’s Top 100 Players List by Surprise
After finishing third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting the season prior, Triston Casas was placed 97th on MLB Network’s list of the top 100 players.
MLB fans and Red Sox Nation are a little taken aback by the rating. The players in the top 100 list are chosen based on their performance in the post-season as well as their projections for the upcoming campaign.
Before Casas is officially recognised as a star, he still has a lot of work to do. The 6-foot-5 first baseman was among the top hitters in baseball over the final three months of the season; from the All-Star break on, the rookie had the fourth-highest OPS in the league.
In theory, Casas’s rookie season ought to be the lowest of his career. That being said, it becomes unrealistic to think that his turbulent second half would continue for the whole season.
The Red Sox’s Triston Casas ranks 97th on MLB Network’s top 100 players list
.@RedSox slugger @mvptc37 makes his #Top100RightNow debut at #97 following his first full season in the Big Leagues! pic.twitter.com/4QOs61ttKw
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 7, 2024
For most of the previous season, Alex Cora was reluctant to start Casas against left-handed pitchers. Though Bobby Dalbec is unlikely to acquire a regular job, there isn’t a player on the current roster who would replace Casas against a left-handed starter, and at this stage in his career, Casas has only faced a tiny sample size of lefty pitchers. Casas has a mediocre record with 122 plate appearances versus LHPs.slash line: 214/.369/.408/.777.
It remains to be seen whether Casas can establish himself as an above-average first base defender because his defense is sorely lacking. Casas was 45th in UZR and 99th in Total Defensive Runs Saved among first basemen who played at least 50 innings in the previous season. While Casas was still a MiLB prospect, many scouts considered him to be a gold glove-caliber defender; nonetheless, Casas still has a long way to go before he is recognised as a more prominent defender.
