Since his debut with the Boston Red Sox in 2022, Triston Casas has stuck to his pregame routine. The 24-year-old stretches on the field before games, often with no shoes on, sometimes without a shirt.
Many MLB fans said their piece about Casas' pregame ritual soon after his promotion to the big leagues — some came to his defense, others hurled insults in his direction. Despite everything, he never changed his habits.
On Aug. 27, a video of Casas doing his pregame stretches circulated on social media and reinvigorated the discussion around his routine. It was quite the spectacle, as he was wearing bright yellow shorts and a red ski mask.
Critics came from all over the internet to harp on the ritual Casas has done for his entire professional baseball career. Former player and host of the "Foul Territory" podcast A. J. Pierzynski was among them.
"To me, that is just like, 'Hey, I want everyone to look at me. I'm weird and different and quirky,'" he said. ". . . it's like he's crying for someone to say, 'oh, let's see what cute thing Triston Casas did today,' which is cool, I get it."
Red Sox's Triston Casas in the news again for criticisms of his pregame routine
Triston Casas getting his stretches in 😎 #RedSox pic.twitter.com/r4u1hi9dt0
— NESN (@NESN) August 27, 2024
Pierzynski began his statement by saying he doesn't mind Casas' actions, but the rest of his comment suggests otherwise. Casas has been a character since before he cracked the big leagues, and the discussion around his pregame routine and painted nails is tired.
Pierzynski wondered why a more senior player or coach hadn't told Casas to do his stretches somewhere in the clubhouse, but some did. Casas shared on an episode of NESN's "310 to Left" podcast that some pitchers and coaches tried to discourage him from sticking to the pregame routine he established in the minor leagues.
Alex Cora told Casas to continue to be himself and stick to the routine he knows will produce good results on the field. Since, Casas earned Rookie of the Year consideration and the Red Sox organization has embraced his pregame habit with a bobblehead of him in a yoga pose.
Pierzynski took a "back in my day" approach to criticizing Casas' stretches, as if baseball was better when teams actively stifled players' personalities in favor of an image. Casas has many critics, but others can see past his pregame antics because he rakes and his defense is noticeably better from last season.
And even if Casas' pregame stretches are attention-seeking, who cares? He does what he believes he needs to do to play good baseball — it doesn't harm anyone, and it works.
Let players live and act how they want. Personality isn't a detriment to success.