No Pressure, Triston Casas, But Red Sox Farm System Cannot Afford Another Whiff

Tomase: No pressure, Casas, but Sox farm system can't afford another whiff originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Rebuilding a farm system cannot be an end unto itself. Prospect rankings mean nothing once a player reaches the big leagues, where only one question matters: can he play?

The Red Sox have gotten off to an uneven start under Chaim Bloom in this regard, though mostly with prospects he inherited from Dave Dombrowski. Right-hander Brayan Bello looks like he'll develop into a legitimate mid-rotation starter, if not more, but outfielder Jarren Duran has holes in his swing and atrocious defensive instincts that call his ceiling into question.

Garrett Whitlock was a home run in the rule 5 draft, but Josh Winckowski looks like a dud as the centerpiece of the Andrew Benintendi trade, and don't even get us started on Jeter Downs and Mookie Betts -- though maybe catcher Connor Wong will salvage something from the prospect portion of that blockbuster.

When we talk about prospects, what we really mean are impact players. Today's eighth-rated farmhand is tomorrow's long reliever or utility infielder. There's a place for complementary players, but if you want to build something sustainable, which is Chaim Bloom's clear mandate as head of baseball operations, that effort hinges on high-end talent.

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The Orioles are demonstrating what this looks like, just like the Cubs and Astros did half a decade ago. Catcher Adley Rutschman already looks like a future MVP candidate, a switch hitter with power who plays Gold Glove-caliber defense. Baltimore's surge coincided with his arrival this summer. But there's more.

The Orioles are 4-0 since summoning shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who had replaced Rutschman as the No. 1 prospect in the game by some measures. All Henderson has done is bat .400, launch a 429-foot homer, steal a base, and make a handful of highlight-reel defensive plays. They're just the beginning of a wave that might boost Baltimore into the playoffs this season, and should help the O's contend for the next five years.

The Red Sox are nowhere near that position. Their best prospects, especially shortstop Marcelo Mayer, remain mostly at Single A. The few hitters to reach the big leagues have shown virtually nothing, from Duran's lack of contact to Bobby Dalbec's disappointing regression to Downs being simply overwhelmed.

And so it is that we come to Triston Casas.

The hulking first baseman was officially promoted on Sunday, news first reported by MassLive's Chris Cotillo. Whereas doubts have always existed about Duran, Dalbec, and Downs, particularly their ability to make consistent contact, Casas resides in a different class of prospect.

He may not be Rutschman or Henderson, but he's the closest thing the Red Sox have got, a slugger who has consistently demonstrated an understanding of the strike zone while also featuring natural power. He's hitting .273 with 11 homers and an .863 OPS at Triple-A Worcester.

Casas, quite simply, cannot miss. The Red Sox desperately need production from their farm system, especially considering how many holes they'll have to fill this winter. Every legitimate internal solution they find is another $8-$10 million they can conceivably spend in free agency.

But so far, the farm has failed them. Outside of Bello, their homegrown options in the rotation -- Kutter Crawford, Winckowski, Connor Seabold -- have ranged from mediocre to unwatchable. They've spent the entire season trying to find a reliever to take the pressure off John Schreiber, and incredibly have not received a single contribution of note from Worcester, with the possible exception of journeyman Tyler Danish.

On the offensive side, Duran and Dalbec have played themselves back to the minors, while Downs looked so overwhelmed it's hard to take him seriously as a prospect anymore.

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And so until Mayer and Nick Yorke and Ceddanne Rafaela inch closer to the big leagues, the Red Sox really need to hit on Casas, who probably would've been here eight weeks ago, except he missed two months with a mid-May ankle injury.

The Red Sox have proceeded so cautiously with him since that it wasn't even a guarantee he'd be summoned this month when rosters expanded. Manager Alex Cora noted a week and a half ago that Casas's name hadn't come up in discussions of ways to fill the club's hole at first base following Eric Hosmer's placement on the injured list. Bloom has made it clear that Casas would not be rushed.

If he goes the Duran route, with holes in his swing that require a return to Triple A next season, then we could have a true disaster on our hands. But if he shows that his combo of power and patience plays, then the 22-year-old will go a long way towards assuaging fears over the direction of the organization.

He'll get his first crack at it soon enough. No pressure, kid.