The Boston Red Sox signed lots of players during the offseason.
Masataka Yoshida, Justin Turner, Kenley Jansen, Corey Kluber, Adam Duvall, Jorge Alfaro, Chris Martin, and others have joined the squad via free agency.
The Red Sox needed this influx of talent, after finishing last in the AL East this past season with a 78-84 record.
However, they also lost lots of good players: Xander Bogaerts, Rich Hill, Nate Eovaldi, JD Martinez, Michael Wacha, Tommy Pham, and Matt Strahm signed elsewhere.
This talent turnover puts more pressure on the homegrown bats, especially the younger ones, to produce.
Triston Casas is an example.
A player with top prospect pedigree, Casas will be the man in charge of manning first base for Boston.
He will be required to produce right out of the gate if the team is going to have any chance of making the postseason.
Thankfully, Casas has the talent to make an impact in 2023 and for the next decade.
Top 5 ROY candidate and Red Sox 1st baseman Triston Casas hitting baseballs. This is the content I need. pic.twitter.com/1Z1kC2nebD
—Craig Teed (@craig_teed) February 22, 2023
Watching the lefty-swinging Casas take batting practice is a thing of beauty.
He combines balance with power and patience, things that aren’t common in the same player.
Despite a .197 batting average last year in 27 games with Boston, he made a positive impression with five home runs and a .766 OPS.
He was .863 at Triple-A, which is closer to his true talent level.
His raw power is matched by just a couple of prospects in baseball, and he has the potential to post several seasons of a .280 average and 30 round-trippers.
The 2023 season will be a crucial season for him.
NEXT:
The Red Sox Show Off All Their 2023 Stars
