This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Point to just about any activity the Red Sox made available to their players this winter and the one constant was Triston Casas.

A chance to take extra ground balls and hacks in the cage with teammates and coaches at the team’s Dominican Academy? Casas was there.

Trevor Story’s inaugural infield camp for Red Sox players and prospects in Dallas? Casas was there.

The holiday caravan in Boston in which team personnel went to local hospitals to spread good cheer? Casas was there.

Rookie Development camp, which primarily consists only of prospects and not players who finished third in the American League’s Rookie of the Year voting? Casas was there.

The Winter Weekend fanfest event in Springfield, Mass., that typically ties a bow on player appearances until Spring Training? Casas was there.

It was an impressive display of team spirit for a 24-year-old player, and an example of how Casas figures to be in the middle of things beyond the batting order for the Red Sox for years to come. For a team that has been open about the mission to build around its young core, the buy-in from Casas is important.

“I know there's been a lot of positives this offseason, but he's been kind of like our MVP this offseason,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “I think he understands who we are, where we’re at [as a team]. It’s fun to see him take that step forward. Obviously, it's been a great offseason for him physically, mentally, understanding who he is for us, and I'm very proud of him.”

The all-in approach Casas has taken this winter has been noticed by many in the organization.

“I think we’ve had four or five optional kind of group meetups this offseason and he was at everything,” said Red Sox hitting coach Peter Fatse. “He’s kind of taking on the younger guys. It was really cool to see him interact with the guys this weekend at the Rookie Development Program in Boston. Any time you have a guy like that who is comfortable being in front of the room, I think that's a good thing.”

While teams don’t often empower players with just over a year of service time to be so vocal, things have always been different with Casas. And a lot of it revolves around how cerebral he is as a hitter, something that was apparent as soon as the club selected him out of high school in the first round of the 2018 Draft.

Casas is now at the point where he feels comfortable speaking up in hitting meetings with veterans or prospects, and also in less formal settings.

“It’s something that I had to work on,” said Casas. “I mean, vulnerability is not a comfortable characteristic for anybody. There were times last year and even now that I'm going to say things I'm not going to do. But effort, attitude and energy are always things you can control. I think everybody understands that in the locker room that I try to give advice to.”

Of course, the biggest way Casas can impact the Red Sox in 2024 is the same way he did in ’23 -- with his big bat.

“Production-wise, you're going to see a guy who is able to get on base, knows the strike zone. I think there’s still even more room for that power to show up,” said Fatse. “He’s just such a strong guy. Just gonna build off last year.”

The left-handed-hitting masher is working hard on both his offense and defense this winter. The mission on the offensive side of the ball is linked to increased weight training.

“A lot of strength,” Casas said. “I feel like for as big as I am, I’m not hitting the ball as hard as I should. So just trying to improve on my strength. I feel like that'll help me throughout the season. Just keep my legs under me and stay healthy throughout the whole year. The hitting, I know it’s going to be there if I’m feeling strong.”

As for defense, that is an area the Red Sox struggled at collectively last year. Casas plans on holding up his end of the bargain at first base.

“Definitely,” said Casas. “At the end of the day, I’ve got to support the whole infield, just picking them up and making them feel a little more confident. I feel like as I start picking them up and start making good plays with good footwork around the bag, they’re going to feel better just getting to balls and trying to throw it up in my vicinity and letting me do the rest.”