No, Triston Casas didn’t win American League Rookie of the Year. But that does nothing to diminish his importance to the future hopes of the Red Sox.
On Monday, MLB announced the unsurprising result that Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson (.255/.325/.489 with 28 homers and elite defense) had won the award. Casas finished third — the best finish for a Red Sox player since Andrew Benintendi was runner-up to Aaron Judge in 2017 — behind Henderson and Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee (10-4, 2.98 ERA in 25 starts).
While Henderson had a better all-around season, Casas had an outstanding performance for a player in his first full year in the big leagues. At 23, he hit .263 with a .367 on-base and a .490 slugging mark (the latter two tops among qualifying AL rookies) while launching 24 homers, tied for seventh-most by a Red Sox rookie.
Those numbers alone would speak to considerable promise. Yet what Casas did down the stretch suggests an even bigger place in the lineup and the league — particularly given his own sense of the gap between his performance and his potential.
“I’m not close at all,” Casas said late in the season of how close he was to being the player he envisions becoming. “I feel like I take a lot of pitches that I should be hitting. I feel like I check-swing at a lot of pitches that shouldn’t even merit a flinch. I feel like there’s a whole other level that I could tap into, but I’m not really there right now for whatever reason. I’m trying to figure it out.”
Already, the cerebral Casas has demonstrated an atypical gift for problem-solving in the batter’s box and deciphering how opposing pitchers are attacking him. Often, rookies will see their performance slip — and sometimes crumble — in the second half of the season. The physical wear of the first full year in the big leagues, coupled with the adjustments of opposing pitchers to exploit deficiencies, can result in a sputter toward the finish line.
The opposite occurred for Casas. He struggled at the beginning of the year while taking too passive an approach, hitting just .133/.283/.293 in April. But in retrospect, he wasn’t drowning in that initial stretch, just treading water while figuring out how to swim.
Casas steadily improved over the first half, then exploded with a jaw-dropping performance after the All-Star break. He hit .317/.417/.617 with 15 homers in 54 games in the second half, putting him in the middle of a who’s who of the best hitters in baseball — just behind Ronald Acuña Jr., and slightly ahead of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Yordan Alvarez — for the top performances after the All-Star break.
To put up such numbers at any career stage is impressive. That Casas did so as a 23-year-old rookie was historic. His 1.034 OPS in the second half was the eighth-highest mark by a rookie.
From the first game of the second half through his final game of the year on Sept. 14, Casas offered evidence of star potential. The upward trajectory of his season might have been the most promising element of the Red Sox’ 2023.
“He started settling in a little bit, learning,” said Sox assistant hitting coach Ben Rosenthal. “He took that and then you go to the second half, and all these little things that he’d been putting together were just building blocks to see what he can do. There’s still more room.
“He’s got the ceiling; we’re seeing it. I don’t think he’s a guy that’s going to be comfortable. His personality and how he goes about things, I think he wants to go and be elite, to be a superstar. I think he wants it. I think he’s on the right track. There’s still more room to grow.”
That became apparent in myriad ways as the season progressed. Not only did Casas show the ability to hit in the middle of the lineup, but he assumed a growing off-field role as well.
Mindful of his advanced thoughts about hitting, Sox players and coaches encouraged him to assume an increasingly vocal role in pregame hitters meetings. Casas also took it upon himself to connect with prospects such as Wilyer Abreu and Enmanuel Valdez to help them in their acclimation to the big leagues.
Such outreach underscores the great distance Casas traveled in the course of a year. As a September callup in 2022, he navigated veteran expectations uncertainly — and sometimes drew eye rolls from teammates for quirky pregame routines such as sunbathing shirtless in the outfield. But by this September, his performance and commitment to routines had earned the respect of both older and younger peers.
“He’s come a long way,” said Rosenthal. “He’s learning that he belongs here. He’s confident that he belongs here. He’s confident in his thoughts and his approach.
“Having these guys come up and having the confidence to talk to them is huge. He’s growing as a teammate, talking more, feeling more comfortable. He belongs here. His voice matters.”
So, of course, does his bat. And in 2023, Casas showed why he’s likely a critical part of the Red Sox lineup for years to come. To those who have seen him the longest in the organization, it represented the beginning of what could be a dazzling run.
“Triston was built for this,” said Willie Romay, the area scout credited with signing Casas. “This is his life, man. This is what his journey is all about. No doubt he’s going to be a big cornerstone in our organization for a lot of years.”
Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. Follow him @alexspeier.