Red Sox fans anxious to see Adrian Gonzalez or Miguel Cabrera playing first base and supplying thunder to the middle of the batting order may hear Casey Kotchman’s name and say, “Who?”

But those who know Kotchman best caution against selling him short.

One such person is Todd Claus, the director of Latin American scouting for the Sox. Claus has known Kotchman since the latter was 8 and the former was playing for Kotchman’s father, Tom, who was managing short-season Boise (Angels) of the Northwest League in 1991.

Claus saw Kotchman mature into one of the top high schoolers in the country, then managed him in 2002 at Single-A Cedar Rapids of the Midwest League.

“It’s going to be exciting to see what he does,” Claus said yesterday. “He probably hasn’t seen his prime yet. I think any manager would love to have a guy like that on his team. He can hit off the bench. He can certainly play a substantial amount of time. He can handle pressure.”

A relative lack of power at a power position may cause some to overlook Kotchman, but not those within the game. And certainly not the Red Sox, who didn’t hesitate to tender him a contract that will top $3 million for 2010, because they believe he can be the everyday first baseman.

The Sox have made frequent reference to Kotchman’s breakout 2007 season with the Angels, when he hit .296 with an .840 OPS and more extra-base hits (51) than strikeouts (43).

What the numbers don’t explain is how good he was until a freak injury curtailed his production. On June 16 Kotchman was hitting .333 with eight home runs and a .967 OPS when Dodgers catcher Russell Martin hit him in the head with an attempted pickoff throw at second.

Kotchman returned nine days later but wasn’t right, batting just .153 with one homer in 21 games. He then regained his sea legs to hit .311 the rest of the way.

“This guy has a flat, compact swing,” Claus said. “It’s not really a lofted swing. He’s a doubles guy, a Mark Grace (the longtime Cubs first baseman) or someone like that. I think he’s going to develop more power. I’d venture to say there are other people in the organization that share those thoughts.”

Then there’s defense. Kotchman’s .998 fielding percentage is the highest in history for a first baseman with at least 3,500 innings.

“He’s probably in the top two of best defensive first basemen I’ve ever been around, and it’s hard for me to decide who’s No. 1,” Claus said. “(Kevin) Youk(ilis) fits into that category for winning a Gold Glove, but Casey is without question a Gold Glove-type defender.”

Claus recalls a play Kotchman made as a minor leaguer, when he scaled a 10-foot fence next to the dugout to snare a foul ball.

“It was the kind of thing you’d see a really good athlete do in center field,” Claus said. “You don’t see too many first basemen make that play.”

Claus also gives Kotchman high marks for his knowledge of the game. He recalls Kotchman constantly hitting off a soft-toss screen in his garage as a high schooler. He also remembers him sitting on the bench in the minors as a boy, soaking up the game’s nuances from his father.

“This was back in the day when you could have kids on the bench, before Dusty (Baker)’s kid got plowed over (during the 2002 World Series between Baker’s Giants and the Angels),” Claus said. “He’d sit there at age 10 or 11 and pay attention to the game, talk the game. Moving guys over, driving them in, running the bases, cutoff position, he learned all of that.

“Those summers were invaluable to who he is now.”

What the Red Sox hope is that he’s more than just a placeholder at first.

“I’m glad he’s on our team,” Claus said. “I can tell you that.”

jtomase@bostonherald.com

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