Triston Casas an option to leadoff for the Red Sox this season?
One debate at Red Sox camp this spring has been who will be the leadoff hitter come Opening Day?
“You can ask all the coaches who the leadoff guy is and they can give you 10 different answers,” manager Alex Cora said on Thursday to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic.
Earlier in camp, Cora mentioned the idea of Triston Casas atop of his lineup. Again this week, the Red Sox skipper told reporters he’s entertained the idea for certain matchups.
“He’s a guy that at certain times we will do that because of who he is and what he can do,” Cora said.
Casas gives the Red Sox a unique bat for their lineup. He has shown tremendous plate discipline, he can get on base and showcase his power.
Boston hasn’t had a true leadoff hitter since losing Mookie Betts. Other in-house candidates such as Christian Arroyo and Raimel Tapia are options this season as well.
The 23-year-old is having a great spring, hitting .372 with two homers, six RBIs and a 1.079 OPS. Casas ability to get on-base has been highlighted this spring and he continues to make the case he could be the table setter come Opening Day.
"I want to get on base," Casas told the Globe. "I don't need to try to force power to really display it. So I feel like my skill set does fit in the leadoff spot. I feel like I can grind an at-bat. I can get on base. I can jump ship. It just depends on the situation, depends on the conditions as well. But I think the versatility of my game plays in all parts of the lineup."
Last season, Casas hit .273 with 11 home runs, 38 RBIs, and posted a .382 OBP in 72 games for the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox.
The Florida native achieved goal and made his big-league debut with the Red Sox in September and posted a .197 average with 5 home runs, 12 RBI and a .358 OBP in 27 games for Boston.
Since joining the Red Sox organization, Casas hasn’t focused on being a home run hitter. Instead, someone who can have productive at-bats and get on base. If he hits a home run, it’s a byproduct of having a good at-bat.
“I feel like to be a power-hitter you shouldn’t have to hit home runs, one thing that was preached to me at a young age was to spray the ball all over the field” said Casas in an interview back in November 2021 with MLB Network.
That approach has helped shape the Florida native into the hitter he is today.
Cora has options with his lineup depending on a right vs. left matchup. With wanting to keep Rafael Devers and Masataka Yoshida separated in the lineup, this creates an opportunity to slide Casas as the leadoff hitter because he offers the ability to be selective at the plate.
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