Red Sox's Triston Casas Surprisingly Hints At Teammate's Future Cy Young Candidacy

Anything is possible, right?

Sep 17, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox first base Triston Casas (36) is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a 2-run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the second inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Starting pitching was a mixed bag for the Boston Red Sox in 2024, and no one embodies that more than Kutter Crawford.

In his final start of the 2024 season on Saturday, Crawford finished his year on a sour note. He allowed six earned runs in 4 1/3 innings to the Tampa Bay Rays to earn his big-league-leading 16th loss of the season.

Crawford had some great moments this year, but he also made far too many mistakes, as exemplified by the fact that he led Major League Baseball in home runs allowed. But one of Crawford's teammates seems to think the best is yet to come for the 28-year-old right-hander.

First baseman Triston Casas, always good for a quote, spoke about Crawford's season after Saturday's game. The young slugger sees greatness in his teammate, even making a surprise comparison to a division rival.

“He had stretches where he was the best pitcher in baseball, and then some where he was the worst pitcher in baseball," Casas said, per Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald. "But to his credit, I think he did lead (MLB) in HR given up, which in 2022, Gerrit Cole did the same thing, and then next year wins the Cy Young.”

Cole's 2022 was certainly better than Crawford's 2024, but you can see where Casas is coming from. Crawford allowed 34 home runs in his 183 2/3 innings pitched this season and produced a 4.36 ERA. Cole surrendered 33 in his 200 2/3 innings in 2022 and ended up with a 3.50 ERA.

To be fair, Casas doesn't explicitly say Crawford will win a Cy Young, but it was still a lofty comparison, considering Cole has been a top-five pitcher in baseball for most of the last decade. Crawford has many of the tools it takes to be a star, though, even if he doesn't become an ace like Cole.

Durability? Check. Low opponent batting average? Check, as Crawford only allowed a .223 AVG this season. And although he's not a full-on strikeout machine, his 175 punchouts still led the Red Sox this season, grabbing the lead over Nick Pivetta's 172 on Saturday.

A Kutter Crawford Cy Young run might be unexpected, but it's safe to say Red Sox fans would be here for it. And he's got at least one teammate in his corner, so that's a promising start.

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