Bloom says the Red Sox have been active on the starting pitcher market and he expects by the time spring training begins they will have made some additions
The accolades keep rolling in for Red Sox farmhand Triston Casas.
In a poll of scouts by the Athletic, Casas was named the No. 2 prospect in the Arizona Fall League, trailing only catcher Gabriel Moreno of the Blue Jays. One scout called him, "the best player out here."
A consensus top-50 prospect in baseball and the No. 2 player in the Red Sox farm system behind fourth overall pick Marcelo Mayer, Casas hit .372 with Scottsdale this fall, driving in 11 runs and recording a .982 OPS.
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SIGN UP HERE He only hit one home run, but power is not projected to be a problem for the 21-year-old, who blasted 14 homers in 86 games between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester. Casas also delivered for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics, leading the tournament in home runs (3) and RBIs (8) while helping the U.S. to silver.
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What is Casas's future?
He could arrive in Boston sometime this season, when he's likely to make Bobby Dalbec expendable. One scout who spoke to the Athletic pegs him as a six-hole hitter with 35-homer power, while another wonders if he'll be more like Travis Shaw, a second-tier regular who falls short of All-Star.
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Either way, the Red Sox have to feel good about the 2018 first-rounder's development. At 6-foot-4, 252 pounds, he's blessed with the physical gifts to hit for power, and with an approach modeled on Reds All-Star Joey Votto, he shows signs of controlling the strike zone, too.
Consider his performance in Arizona -- and the respect it is garnering across the game -- another positive step in his development.