McAdam: Top draft pick Triston Casas allows himself to envision a future at Fenway

If and when Triston Casas reaches the big leagues as a player, he'll undoubtedly look back on Saturday and the memories made upon his second visit to Fenway Park.

Signed recently by the Red Sox after being selected in the first round of the draft earlier this month, Casas, who made his professional debut Friday night in Fort Myers with the organization's Gulf Coast League affiliate, he took batting practice as part of one of the group of regulars, and put on quite a show.

Flashing raw power and a lefty, uppercut swing, Casas drove pitches into the bullpens in right, into the bleachers in center and off the base of The Wall in left-center. The balls weren't line drives, but rather, high, arching fly balls, propelled by backspin into an overcast, misty late afternoon.

"This experience? Man, it was definitely one I'll never forget,'' said Casas, sitting in home dugout after his round of BP. "It makes me hungry to get back here.''

Casas drew quite a crowd as he swung. Veteran Red Sox players watched out of curiosity. Scouting director Mike Rikard and farm director Ben Crockett watched with keen interest. And off to the side, Hall of Famer Tony La Russa, a special assistant to Dave Dombrowski and not one to dole out empty praise, arched his eyebrows and noted as he left the field: "Pretty impressive, huh?''

Indeed it was. Casas has power to spare, which is what intrigued the Red Sox to begin with. He had visited -- and hit here -- once before, in a pre-draft workout, and afterward had remarked that he instantly had fallen in love with the city, and with the ballpark, which he saw as particularly well-suited to his swing.

That was before Casas could know for sure that he'd be selected by the Sox. On Saturday, even as he is all of one game into his long climb up the minor league ladder, hitting in a major league environment felt at least a little more real to him.

"It's pretty amazing,'' gushed Casas, "the history here of this park and to imagine all the great players who have come through this dugout and stepped onto the field ... it's amazing to think about. It was pretty fun.''

When he wasn't swatting balls into the deep reaches of the ballpark, Casas was chatting with fellow South Florida native J.D. Martinez. Martinez is a noted student of hitting and Casas soaked up the conversation like an appreciative student being given a free master class.

"He's not a bad guy to pick his brain about hitting,'' cracked Casas, "so I was talking to him about little things and what he thinks, the way he approaches the game. He's performing at the highest level right now. He's a pretty good player at this level, so I was just trying to pick up anything I could.''

Casas doesn't lack for confidence -- casually mentioning "Hitting baseballs is what I do best'' at one point -- but that doesn't mean he wasn't a bit awed by his surroundings.

"Yeah, I did (feel a bit nervous at first),'' he acknowledged. "I wanted to come out here and I didn't want to look bad in front of any of these guys, so I was trying to make a good impression, trying to be myself around them. They welcomed me with open arms, so I was happy they welcomed me so graciously.''

Until making his debut Friday night as the DH, Casas has spent the last two weeks getting into a routine in Fort Myers and acclimating himself to his surroundings and to pro baseball.

He had committed to the University of Miami, but signaled early that he was intent on getting his career started as a professional.

"My love for the game speaks for itself,'' he said. "I love coming out here and competing. Does it matter if it's the GCl or any level of this organization. It hasn't mattered in my career, whether it's high school or (international competition) -- I love playing the game. It was an easy choice for me.''

On his second visit, Casas became even more convinced that Fenway is the perfect hitting environment.

"Hopefully, I can work that well pretty well eventually and I have pull side pop to the right side, too,'' he said. "I like the way it fits my swing. I can see myself playing here.''

So can the Red Sox, which is why they drafted him when they did. But now comes the hard part -- getting back to Fenway a third time, this time as a major leaguer.