Triston Casas is a unique individual, and that apparently rubbed some of his Boston Red Sox teammates the wrong way last season.
Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reported Thursday that the 23-year-old Red Sox infielder Casas irked a few of his teammates during the 2022 campaign with his odd pregame routine. As part of the routine, which Casas developed in the minor leagues, he would sunbathe shirtless in the right field grass and would also take naps in the clubhouse.
Cotillo reports that some veteran players voiced displeasure with Casas’ antics. One unnamed Red Sox pitcher once even said, “Are you [expletive] kidding me?” upon seeing Casas sunbathing on the Fenway Park grass.
To his credit, though, Casas took the feedback from the veterans to heart. He made changes to his routine by the end of the season and will continue to do so in 2023, Cotillo adds.
“I would have been more concerned if they weren’t saying anything to me,” Casas said. “I felt like that would have meant they didn’t feel like I was going to be [in the majors long]. I think the fact they were telling me stuff, the fact they were getting on me for the little things meant that they wanted me to go about things the right way. They wanted me to make sure that I’m going to carry on that tradition throughout the years when I stay up here.
“I want to go with the flow,” added Casas. “I don’t want to go against the grain, I don’t ever want to be an outlier on the team. And I think that my play definitely reflects that on the field. Off the field, I am who I am. My personality is always going to be authentically unapologetic and I am who I am away from the field. When it comes to the field and I step in between the lines, I know I mean business and everybody else knows that I do, too.”
Casas, a former first-round pick and top-25 MLB prospect, hit a mere .197 over 27 appearances in his first year with the Red Sox last season. But he will likely get a lot more run in 2023 as a regular starter at first base.
It is obvious that Casas is a colorful guy (as saw just last week when he went viral for his painted fingernails and toenails). If he can produce on the field though and fit harmoniously within the team dynamic, his Sox teammates probably won’t mind too much.
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