He has the power, but how are his strikeouts and walks?
- Born: January 15, 2000
- B/T: L/R
- 6’4″, 238-lbs
- Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 1st round of the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft from American Heritage HS (Plantation, FL)
The Numbers
His raw numbers are listed above courtesy of baseball-reference.com. Let’s aggregate by year then focus on the important numbers for minor leaguers:
He was hurt in 2018, so we just skip that. In 2019, after a slow start fixed by a change in batting stance, he went on to put up an amazing performance. Remember, this is basically full A level ball where the average opponent was 2.5 years older than Casas, yet he put up one of the highest Hard% numbers in the league. That power is very, very real.
So his strikeout rate sucks, right? Nope, a 24% rate with that power will work. And his 12% walk rate is a sign that while he might not hit for a high average, his on-base numbers will be just fine. OBP leagues, meet your poster boy.
He did struggle against lefties, though his OBP against them was not awful. He did like hitting righties more.
You see his pull tendencies to right, but you also see doubles and home runs to all fields. This power plays. Anywhere.
He was sailing along in May and June, and then tuckered out by August. Didn’t matter, he put up a great season.
The Scouts
- Rotowire: #86 on their Top 400.
- BaseballHQ: #79 on their Top 100.
- Fangraphs: #57 on their Top 120.
- Fantasy Six Pack: #223 on their dynasty list.
- Prospects365: #69 on Ray Butler’s Top 200.
- Imaginary Brick Wall: #51 on the Top 487.
- Fantrax: #44 on the Top 250.
Warnings
Will his struggles against lefties continue? If so, will he get platooned?
BA leagues, be warned, his strikeouts, though not poor, will likely lead to a .250 or .260 BA. Maybe that works for you in exchange for his 80 grade power, but OBP leagues will be happier.
Conclusion
He had a great season, and now let’s see what he does with AA. The power is real, the batting eye is good, the defense at 1B will be just fine, but that’s all he will be (or DH). If that power is what you need, he will be good guy to get.