The Red Sox chose third baseman Triston Casas with the 26th overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft on Monday.
Casas played with American Heritage High School in Plantation, FL prior to the draft. While the left-hander may have been drafted as a third baseman, Casas was primarily a first baseman in high school, with third base being his secondary position.
He destroyed in the batter’s box during his junior year in the 2016-17 school year, slashing .466/.552/.702 with four home runs and 18 RBIs over 24 games. This season, while his batting average may have dropped, Casas improved with a .385/.545/.884 slash as he belted seven home runs and drove in 35 runs in 29 games.
As expected from somebody who stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 238 lbs, Casas is notable for his power. MLB.com’s scouting report states, ” In terms of raw pop, he’s up there with just about anyone in the class, registering high exit velocities at various times.” MLB.com listed Casas as number 20 on their list of top 200 players in the draft.
Casas also played on Team USA in the 28th U-18 Baseball World Cup, an international competition for baseball players ages 18 or younger put on by the World Baseball/Softball Confederation.
Team USA won the championship as Casas slashed a strong .250/.368/.625 throughout the nine-game event. Casas’s high slugging percentage, along with his league-leading three home runs and 13 RBIs led him to be crowned WBSC’s baseball MVP of 2017.
