Niko Kavadas

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #23 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Despite a Bunyan-esque senior year at Notre Dame in which he hit .302/.473/.767 with 22 homers in 47 games, position questions and some uncertainty about his sought-after signing bonus left Kavadas on the board on day three of the 2021 draft. The Sox pounced and signed the slugger for $250,000. In his first full pro season, Kavadas hit .295/.460/.603 with 24 homers in 96 games between Low-A and High-A before tailing off in Double-A Portland, finishing second in the minors in OBP (.443) and 12th in OPS (.990).
  
  Scouting Report: Kavadas is unabashed about his desire to hit a homer every time he hits, but he's selective in his efforts to do so. Early in counts, he looks for a pitch either middle-in or middle-away to hammer in the air, something he did with exit velocities up to 110 mph. His power grades as at least plus, and Kavadas showed the ability to leave the yard to all fields while handling velocity in the lower levels. As command improved in Double-A, his quality and frequency of contact declined, suggesting a below-average to fringe-average future hit tool. A plodding runner, Kavadas can make routine plays at first but projects as a below-average defender with a below-average arm.
  
  The Future: Kavadas' career will be defined by his bat, and more specifically by the development of his hit tool. He's an intelligent hitter, and if he finds ways to limit his holes, he could be a DH who sees some time at first. If not, he may see time as an up-and-down lefthanded bench bat.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 45. Power: 65. Speed: 20. Fielding: 40. Arm: 40.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #156 prospect in 2021 draft
  Kavadas was draft-eligible in 2020, when he ranked as the No. 169 player in the class thanks to his massive power potential from the left side. After homering seven times in his first 13 games during the shortened 2020 season, Kavadas has been among the home run leaders this spring, popping 21 through 44 games, while slashing .309/.476/.785. On top of that, Kavadas has put together the best plate discipline numbers of his career with a 22% walk rate and 24% strikeout rate. Kavadas was near the top of the Division I leaderboard in walks per game, with 1.07. It was important that Kavadas had a strong year with the bat, as the entirety of his profile is reliant on that. A first baseman for Notre Dame, Kavadas is a well below-average runner with limited range who will be limited to first base or DH at the next level. He has the raw power to profile there and he can send the ball out of the park in any direction, and he did a nice job getting into hitter’s counts and then hammering fastballs this spring. He did struggle more against breaking and offspeed stuff and was also less successful than scouts would have liked to see against 93-plus mph velocity, which are valid concerns for his pure hit tool at the next level. Some teams might be out on Kavadas given his age and defensive profile, but there’s real power for a team that thinks he’ll be able to regularly get to it at the next level with a wood bat.
• Ranked #169 prospect in 2020 draft
  A big, physical first baseman with impressive bat speed and plus-plus raw power, Kavadas has hit 24 home runs with Notre Dame over his 114-game career at the program. Listed at 6-foot-1, 235 pounds, Kavadas is a first base-only profile who has a sneaky good arm but lacks the lateral range and hands for third base, putting more pressure on his bat to perform. While his power is impressive, Kavadas has struggled with strikeouts at times, whiffing at a 22 percent rate during his 2019 sophomore season and pushing that rate close to 30 percent last summer in the Cape Cod League, where he hit .252/.344/.519 with nine home runs and six doubles. Scouts have also raised concerns about Kavadas’ splits against lefthanded pitchers, and while he’ll face significantly more righties than lefties, it’s a valid concern considering his bat-heavy profile. While almost all of Kavadas’ value will come from the bat, Kavadas has legitimate plus in-game power that plays to all fields and his impact lefthanded bat could entice teams in the 4-6 round range.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Despite a Bunyan-esque senior year at Notre Dame in which he hit .302/.473/.767 with 22 homers in 47 games, position questions and some uncertainty about his sought-after signing bonus left Kavadas on the board on day three of the 2021 draft. The Sox pounced and signed the slugger for $250,000. In his first full pro season, Kavadas hit .295/.460/.603 with 24 homers in 96 games between Low-A and High-A before tailing off in Double-A Portland, finishing second in the minors in OBP (.443) and 12th in OPS (.990).
  
  Scouting Report: Kavadas is unabashed about his desire to hit a homer every time he hits, but he's selective in his efforts to do so. Early in counts, he looks for a pitch either middle-in or middle-away to hammer in the air, something he did with exit velocities up to 110 mph. His power grades as at least plus, and Kavadas showed the ability to leave the yard to all fields while handling velocity in the lower levels. As command improved in Double-A, his quality and frequency of contact declined, suggesting a below-average to fringe-average future hit tool. A plodding runner, Kavadas can make routine plays at first but projects as a below-average defender with a below-average arm.
  
  The Future: Kavadas' career will be defined by his bat, and more specifically by the development of his hit tool. He's an intelligent hitter, and if he finds ways to limit his holes, he could be a DH who sees some time at first. If not, he may see time as an up-and-down lefthanded bench bat.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 45. Power: 65. Speed: 20. Fielding: 40. Arm: 40.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Despite a Bunyan-esque senior year at Notre Dame in which he hit .302/.473/.767 with 22 homers in 47 games, position questions and some uncertainty about his sought-after signing bonus left Kavadas on the board on day three of the 2021 draft. The Sox pounced and signed the slugger for $250,000. In his first full pro season, Kavadas hit .295/.460/.603 with 24 homers in 96 games between Low-A and High-A before tailing off in Double-A Portland, finishing second in the minors in OBP (.443) and 12th in OPS (.990).
  
  Scouting Report: Kavadas is unabashed about his desire to hit a homer every time he hits, but he's selective in his efforts to do so. Early in counts, he looks for a pitch either middle-in or middle-away to hammer in the air, something he did with exit velocities up to 110 mph. His power grades as at least plus, and Kavadas showed the ability to leave the yard to all fields while handling velocity in the lower levels. As command improved in Double-A, his quality and frequency of contact declined, suggesting a below-average to fringe-average future hit tool. A plodding runner, Kavadas can make routine plays at first but projects as a below-average defender with a below-average arm.
  
  The Future: Kavadas' career will be defined by his bat, and more specifically by the development of his hit tool. He's an intelligent hitter, and if he finds ways to limit his holes, he could be a DH who sees some time at first. If not, he may see time as an up-and-down lefthanded bench bat.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 45. Power: 65. Speed: 20. Fielding: 40. Arm: 40.
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 45/Extreme
  
  Track Record: One of the best power hitters in college baseball during his time at Notre Dame, the lefthanded-hitting first baseman clubbed 22 home runs in 2021. The Red Sox selected Kavadas in the 11th round of the 2021 draft and signed him to an over-slot bonus of $250,000. He debuted in the Florida Complex League out of the draft and saw a late-season promotion to Low-A Salem.
  
  Scouting Report: Assigned to Salem again out of spring training Kavadas laid to waste Low-A pitching, as he posted a 1.062 OPS over the first 59 games of the season. Kavadas has plus power with the ability to get to it in games. His extremely good swing decisions and on-base skills might be his best attributes, allowing him to toe a line of average to fringe-average contact and still maximize his power. He doesn&#39t have high-end exit velocities, through they are well above-average. It&#39s Kavadas&#39 ability to take optimal attack angles to the baseball that maximizes his raw power. Defensively he&#39s limited to first base, with a role there or at DH most likely long term.
  
  The Future: Kavadas is an on-base and power focused hitter with enough contact to be dangerous. He&#39s limited defensively, meaning his bat will have to carry him.