FORT MYERS, Fla. — For most of baseball history, up-and-coming players eventually had to pick a lane. You either became a hitter or a pitcher, and even Babe Ruth wasn’t able to do both at the same time for very long.

Then came Shohei Ohtani, who broke down that barrier and proved being a two-way player in Major League Baseball can be done.

It might be years before the depth of Ohtani’s impact on the sport is fully understood, but ever since his breakout MVP season in 2021 a full generation of high school players have watched him thrive, all while fostering their own dreams of two-way stardom.

One such standout was Conrad Cason, who now hopes to not only become the first two-way player in modern Red Sox history, but to take the path Ohtani blazed another step further.

“I want to take what Shohei’s doing and try to take it to the next level and try to also play the field for as long as I can too,” Cason said. “Because that’s the one thing Shohei doesn’t do.”

A unique talent

Drafted in the eighth round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Greater Atlanta Christian High School in Georgia, Cason is the most unique and intriguing player of Boston’s most recent draft class.

Despite being the eighth player selected by the club, the Red Sox signed Cason to a $1.25 million bonus, the third highest of any player in the team’s draft class and more than $1 million higher than a player typically could expect from the No. 237 overall spot. That bonus was necessary to pry Cason away from his commitment to Mississippi State, and it was also indicative of how much the Red Sox coveted his talent.

As a pitcher, the 18-year-old right-hander boasts a mid-90s fastball that can touch 98 mph, along with some high-upside but still developing offspeed offerings. As a hitter Cason boasts promising raw power and excellent speed, and as a fielder he’s got terrific range and — unsurprisingly — a cannon of an arm at shortstop.

Cason has yet to appear in a professional game since being drafted, but since his arrival in Fort Myers he’s already impressed Red Sox officials.

“We really have not had that type of player with the organization, at least since I’ve been here,” said Brian Abraham, the club’s senior director of player development. “Talented on the mound, talented at the plate, I think building that foundation of athleticism, strength and size is going to be important for the durability and his ability to handle that type of workload, but what we’ve seen so far is an exciting young player that can do a lot of things really well.”

A different path

Growing up, sports always ran in the family for Cason. His father played football, his mother played basketball and ran track, and his two older sisters were always involved in athletics as well.

But though Cason was always active himself, for a while he had a very different vision for his future.

“I never thought sports were going to be an option,” Cason said. “I always wanted to go join the military as a kid so I thought getting the experience of martial arts and having a black belt would kind of lead me on that path.”

Cason spent years doing karate at Dojo Karate in nearby Flowery Branch, balancing his pursuit of a black belt with his baseball, basketball, football and track commitments. He got his black belt after about five years and stuck with the sport well into middle school before travel baseball started picking up.

“It was super fun, I really enjoyed it, whenever I have kids in the future I’m definitely going to encourage them to do it and see if they like it,” Cason said.

And while serving in the military is no longer front of mind, being able to defend oneself can come in handy on a baseball diamond from time to time.

“If there’s ever an altercation on the field I’ll be the first one out there and everyone can get behind me,” Cason joked.

‘He throws gas’

By the time he was in high school Cason was fully dedicated to baseball, and that decision paid off. He starred throughout high school and was Georgia’s Gatorade High School Player of the Year as a senior. That spring he went 7-1 with a 0.48 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 43.2 innings, along with a .364 average, three home runs, 28 RBI, 32 runs, 16 stolen bases and a .519 on-base percentage in 35 games.

A few months later he was drafted by the Red Sox, and now he hopes to follow in the footsteps of other former Peach State stars, including notable prospects like Bubba Chandler, Termarr Johnson and Druw Jones.

And, at the college level, Kristian Campbell.

Though the two are four years apart in age and never crossed paths prior to joining the Red Sox, Cason used to watch Campbell during his college days at Georgia Tech. Imagine his delight when he reported to Fort Myers and January and found he’d be rooming with the top Red Sox prospect.

“Being able to watch him has been cool and it’s been a dream come true just to know that’s someone I (watched) in high school,” Cason said. “To see him in pro ball has been an incredible experience. I’m wishing him the best and he’s been a huge mentor, he’s like an older brother to me.”

Cason made a strong impression on his older teammate as well.

“He throws gas, he throws high 90s, which is really what you can ask for from a pitcher, especially at his age,” Campbell said, adding that he’s also made strides at the plate. “He looks like a whole different player from when he first got in compared to how he looks this spring training. He looks like a whole different hitter and he’s getting a lot more physical and a lot stronger.”

As one of the youngest American-born players in professional baseball today, Cason is still several years away from reaching the majors even if everything goes perfectly. In the meantime Cason hopes to beat the odds and remain a two-way player for as long as possible, but while his ultimate goals are lofty, he recognizes his journey is just beginning and that this year will be all about taking small first steps.

“As an 18-year-old kid your feet can’t magically be in Boston,” Cason said. “So if my feet are down here in rookie ball, or if they’re in Salem in Low-A, I’m going to be where my feet are and try to get better every day so that later in the year I can get promoted, or at the beginning of next year I can start at a higher level than where I ended at the year before.”