Miami Marlins Draft Prospect: First Baseman Triston Casas
The third prospect that we are covering in our pre-draft prospect reports is the local kid, Triston Casas. Casas attended American Heritage in Plantation, Florida for high school, the same school that produced fellow first baseman, Eric Hosmer.
1B Triston Casas
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 238
Age: 18
School: American Heritage (Fla.)
Commitment: Miami
While they shared the same field ten years apart, Casas and Hosmer are not all too similar as players. Hosmer always seemed to be a contact before power guy, while Casas’ highest graded tool is his power and it is the reason that he will most likely be selected on the first day of the draft.
Some evaluators have gone as far to compare Casas to compare Casas’ game to that of Joey Gallo. While it is hard to imagine any other player having as extreme of slash lines as Joey Gallo pulls off, (Last year, Gallo hit .209/.333/.537 with a 121 OPS+ and 41 home runs) you can see where they are coming from.
This spring, he launched 7 home runs while hitting at a .385 clip. Like Hosmer, he also pitched some for American Heritage. Casas threw 7.1 of shoutout ball where he recorded 15 strikeouts and two saves.
Miami Marlins Scouting Report
*All grades can be found on MLB.com*
Hit: 45
Casas’ ability to make consistent contact is the area of his game that has the most questions. Just about every other part of his game, teams know what they are getting. Yet, his success down the road relies on his ability to make enough contact at the plate to show off his massive power.
Casas does have some swing and miss in his game which comes from the loft he tries to create with his swing. If he can get his hit tool to a 50 in the future, he will be a real threat at the plate.
Power: 55
Casas lines up with any other player in the draft class in terms of pure power. He is known for his ability to drive the ball with authority to all parts of the yard and his displays in batting practice.
Some evaluators have thrown around grades as high as 70-75 on his raw power. With that type of pure power, you can see why some compare a lot of Casas to Gallo.
Run: 40
As a first baseman, your ability/inability to run is not the end of the world. In this case, Casas is considered to be a below average runner and it will just have to be something that the organization who drafts him has to live with.
Arm: 50
Casas has solid arm strength, Perfect Game clocked him at 91 off the mound back in 2016.
Field: 50
This spring, Casas showed his ability to play third to scouts across the nation. While he may not end up sticking there in the long run because of his size, he showed off his athletic ability while playing the position.
At first base, he will be at least an average fielder down the road.
Overall: 50
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The future success of Casas truly relies on his hit tool and how much contact he is able to make at the next level. He has a well-rounded approach at the plate. Casas has earned a lot of credit for being patient in the box.
Casas puts a lot of work into his game. On the field, he is described as taking a “professional approach” to the sport and he is known to put in the work behind the scenes. If he is able to hit around .250-.275, Casas will be an All-Star level first baseman due to his pure raw power.
MLB Comparison: Matt Olson
Should the Miami Marlins Take Him?
Casas’ name has probably been most linked to the Marlins out of any other player in the draft. He has insane raw power and the drive to improve, which are two keys to being successful in today’s game.
While taking Casas at 13 might be a reach, depending on who is still left on the board at the time, the Marlins might jump at the opportunity to select a local product.
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