FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Baseball has evolved over the years, to the degree that rookies are no longer hazed or bullied. Thankfully, that behavior is no longer tolerated.
But there's still a set of expectations that comes with being a young player at the big league level. It's a stretch to suggest that rookies should be seen and not heard, but there remains the feeling that rookie need to bring a certain humility with them to the majors.
Triston Casas doesn't quite see it that way.
The Red Sox first baseman is a prized prospect, with the potential for plus power and an elite knowledge of the strike zone, isn't one to cower in the clubhouse. When he was promoted from Triple-A Worcester last September, he spent part of his first morning in the big leagues sunning himself, shirtless, in right field.
He angered some Red Sox veterans last September by taking a pre-game nap in the clubhouse less than an hour before first pitch, incurring the wrath of a few veterans who confronted him. And this spring, he arrived with his nails -- hands and feet, both -- painted.
Some rookies are unassuming and quiet.
And then there's Casas, who is neither. Proudly.
Casas brings swagger, and at times, it seems he's carefully navigating the fine line between confident and cocky, though he seems aware that some may be taken aback by his bravado.
"It definitely doesn't come from the results (I've had so far),'' admitted Casas. "If you just look at the numbers (.197/.358/.408 in 27 games last September), they don't merit this type of confidence. It comes from my work ethic. I come to the ballpark with a certain urgency every day and I attack the same urgency in the offseason. This opportunity that I have in front of me has been a lifetime of work. It's been a culmination of a lot of hours.
"So when I step out on the field, I feel like I'm very skilled when I step into the batter's box. I feel like I bring all of those hours with me. And in the clubhouse, I just try to be myself. I have a personality that gives off confidence, for sure. I don't want to be known as a timid, keep-to-myself (player). I want to be an extrovert. I want everybody to know that I have a personality, that I can speak, that I'm a person first. When I step out on the field, I flip a switch and I mean business.''
Even as he battled last fall at times, Casas's belief in himself never wavered. It's not unusual for rookies to experience failure for the first time as a pro and some are shaken by their struggles. But Casas never lost his confidence.
"Absolutely not,'' he said. "I felt like I was adjusting to every part of the game -- off the field, on the field. I feel like the only thing that felt normal was on the field. I was adjusting to a different type of travel, a different kind of fan base, different media. I feel like it was all hitting my really fast, and in the middle of that, I had a 3-for-40. That's how I started my career, hitting 0-60-something.
"Then, I flipped it around and the second time that I faced some of the teams, I made some adjustments, which I was happy about. I accepted that every pitcher I was going to face was there for a reason -- they have outlier fastball, plus breaking balls, and command several pitches for strikes. I knew I was going to have my work cut out for me. I didn't exactly expect to go in there and be Barry Bonds yet. But with time and more at-bats and a little more comfort around the guys and a little more success, I'll feel like I belong.''
There were times, Casas concedes, that the experience last September was a bit overwhelming.
"I'd be lying if I said no,'' he said. "But that's when I really leaned on my teammates. Coming into the clubhouse, as a younger guy, especially at the stage of the season, it was tough. The energy was down, we weren't winning much and that's not expected here in Boston. (But coming up to a team out of contention) was a little less pressure for me. I wasn't expecting to do well in winning circumstances. I was able to take a step back and focus on my development.''
Casas is careful to be respectful toward the established players in the clubhouse and not present himself as someone who has it all figured it out already.
"There's a lot of winning that's been done, a lot of awards won and I have a lot of respect for those guys,'' he said. "I'm have (an appreciation for history). I'm a baseball rat. I know the contributions the players here and the contributions they've made to the game. Like I said, I want my personality to show in the clubhouse and I want my play on the field to reflect who I am. I don't want those things to intertwine.
"I go about things the right way and everybody respects that and they appreciate my personality off the field because they know I can separate the two. I can flip the switch when it's time to get serious. I think everybody is OK with me being me when it's time to.''
Casas says all the right things about "being a novice,'' and that nothing is guaranteed to him. But that's not entirely true. When the Red Sox designated veteran first baseman Eric Hosmer for assignment over the winter, they were effectively announcing that Casas would be their starting first baseman.
"I think that vote of confidence was huge,'' said Casas, who attended the same high school as Hosmer and viewed him as a mentor. "I don't know enough about the business side of things, but I know I'm going to miss him.''
The confidence in himself is not a new phenomenon. It's been inbred since he can remember.
"It's one thing to prove somebody right and it's another thing to prove somebody wrong,'' he said. "I've never been doubted before and I've never had to prove anybody wrong. I've always had to prove everybody right. I feel like I'm going to continue that. Everybody expects me to do well, and when I do well, it feels good.''