John Tomase, Rob “Hardy” Poole and Phil Perry debate whether Craig Breslow and the Red Sox should go after Shohei Ohtani or Fernando Tatis, Jr. in free agency this winter.
Triston Casas was one of the few bright spots for the 2023 Boston Red Sox.
The 23-year-old first baseman bounced back from a slow start to produce a stellar rookie campaign. He finished with a .263/.367/.490 slash line to go with 24 home runs and 65 RBIs in 132 games.
Those numbers were enough to make Casas a finalist for the American League Rookie of the Year award. He joins Baltimore Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson and Cleveland Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee in the top three.
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Casas shared his reaction to being named a finalist during an appearance on MLB Network.
"It was amazing, honestly. With this rookie class, I didn't know where I was gonna finish. Top to bottom, position players, pitchers, there was an emergence of a rookie class this year like no other. ... Gunnar's a great player and I got the chance to face Tanner earlier in the year when we went to Cleveland and his stuff's awesome too, so to be in the conversation with those two guys means a lot."
Casas, the Red Sox' former No. 1 prospect, showed the potential to be a franchise cornerstone for years to come. With Craig Breslow now leading the front office, Boston will look to build around its prized young slugger this offseason and return to contention in 2024.
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The AL Rookie of the Year award winner will be announced live on MLB Network at 6 p.m. ET on Nov. 13.
