Breaking: Future Red Sox Star Astonishes with Ranking Among…

After finishing third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting the season prior, Triston Casas

 

was ranked 97th on MLB Network’s list of the top 100 players.

 

MLB fans and Red Sox Nation are a little taken aback by the ranking. The players on 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 recognized as a star, he still has a lot of work to do. The 6-foot-5 first baseman was among the best hitters in baseball for 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 appears unrealistic to think that his turbulent second half will continue throughout the entire season.

 

Triston Casas of the Red Sox is ranked 97th out of the top 100 players by MLB Network.

 

.@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 the majority of the previous season, Alex Cora was reluctant to start Casas against left-handed pitchers. Though Bobby Dalbec is unlikely to earn an everyday role, there isn’t a player on the current roster who would replace Casas against a left-handed starter, and at this point in his career, Casas has only faced a small sample size of lefty pitchers. Casas has a mediocre record with 122 plate appearances against 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; however, Casas still has a long way to go before he is recognized as a more prominent defender.