Boston Red Sox again miss the mark with Triston Casas cutback
By Ryan Whitley
In what is shaping up to be yet another non-playoff season for the Boston Red Sox, the management mistakes just keep on coming. The worst part is, they show no sign of stopping, and their recent gaffe with Triston Casas is the worst of the bunch.
Now, the Sox aren’t a horrible team. But they certainly aren’t among the top teams in the league, and the only thing they do consistently is be inconsistent. That’s the price you pay when you go cheap and depend on less proven but possibly talented players, which Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom has proven time and time again is what he wants to do.
What you cannot do, under any circumstance, is stunt the growth of your top prospects, even as they go through growing pains. And the team’s recent decision to take first base reps away from Triston Casas is doing just that.
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Whether it comes from Alex Cora managing to save his job or from Bloom’s army of baseball nerds and their computers saying it’s best for the team, the result is clear: the Boston Red Sox are valuing current mediocrity over a brighter future with this decision.
Boston Red Sox off base with Triston Casas move
For a guy from the vaunted Tampa Bay Rays prospect machine, you would think Bloom would know that prospects need to play, and make mistakes, to grow. But here we are, with the Sox overreacting to what has admittedly been a poor defensive start to the season for Casas.
Just remember, not too long ago we were looking at Casas as a potential bright spot for the season, and a guy this team was going to depend on. But more importantly, we saw him as the future standalone first baseman for this team, no matter what.
Make no mistake, Casas’ defense has not been up to par. At all. But is there any chance that constantly having to field Kiké Hernandez’ off-line throws has crept into his head and is affecting his all-around defense? Sounds crazy, but baseball is a crazy game, and Casas is a weird dude.
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Boston Red Sox need Triston Casas now and in the future
If the Sox are ever going to actually win anything with this new sustainable approach taken up by management, they can’t afford to run the risk of upsetting and losing prospects like Casas. Casas is 23, while the man taking valuable game reps at first base, Justin Turner, is 38. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who is more important to the Red Sox longterm.
It would be one thing if the Boston Red Sox were sitting where the Atlanta Braves or Tampa Bay Rays are- championship contenders that need to be playing at a high level. That is not the case here.
Breaking news, folks, the Sox aren’t winning anything this year, so a couple fielding errors by a rookie really don’t mean much. But taking away those opportunities could mean a whole heck of a lot down the line.
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I will give the Sox credit, at least they didn’t demote Casas back to AAA when his bat was struggling, and reports are that they still are not planning to do that. But come on everyone, let’s be realistic for a minute and realize that for this team, future gains are worth a few misplayed ground balls.