Niko Kavadas had not too long ago been named Boston’s Minor League Participant of the Yr when he was first featured right here at FanGraphs in November 2022. Two years later, he’s now enjoying for the Los Angeles Angels, after the Pink Sox traded him at this summer season’s deadline as a part of a five-player swap. Energy and endurance are his calling playing cards. Kavadas was slashing .281/.424/.551 with 17 residence runs in Triple-A on the time he was dealt, and whereas he subsequently struggled after receiving his first call-up — a 77 wRC+ and 38.7% strikeout charge over 106 plate appearances — he did go deep 4 occasions.
The 26-year-old first baseman very a lot stays a piece in progress, as evidenced by his having spent the final month-plus enjoying within the Arizona Fall League. And whereas assessing progress in an excessive hitter-friendly surroundings may be difficult, he nonetheless crushed the ball throughout his time within the desert. Kavadas was named the AFL’s Offensive Participant of the Yr after slashing .329/.462/.700 with 13 extra-base hits, together with six residence runs, over 91 plate appearances. We’ll get to why he was there in a second.
After I caught as much as Kavadas previous to a Fall League sport in October, the very first thing I needed to know was how the present-day iteration compares to the hitter I’d spoken to 25 months earlier.
“At my core, I feel I’ll all the time be the identical man,” Kavadas stated. “Since then, I’ve tried to seize a few of the low-hanging fruit and tackle a few of the swing-and-miss points. I’ve additionally tried to get on prime of the ball a bit extra, which is one thing I’ve carried out a greater job of. However I’m all the time going to be a stocky, left-handed man who desires to hit the ball exhausting, desires to hit the ball within the air, desires to swing at strikes, draw walks, and do injury when the ball is over the center [of the plate].”
There isn’t a disputing his skill to do injury. Kavadas has light-tower energy, which comes courtesy of a 6-foot-1, 230-pound body. (His weight has ranged from 220 to 250 throughout his time in professional ball.) Given his dimension and energy, he doesn’t must take an particularly wholesome hack as a way to juice a baseball.
“That’s a giant a part of it, understanding that I don’t must max out how exhausting I’m swinging the bat,” Kavadas stated of the continued efforts to enhance his contact charge. “For me, it’s extra in regards to the quantity of occasions I could make contact.”
Chasing hasn’t been the problem. Kavadas swung at simply 18.3% of pitches out of the strike zone after his call-up, a quantity roughly in step with what he’d carried out down on the farm. He’s all the time been one to attract his walks; an Eleventh-round choose in 2021 out of Notre Dame, Kavadas had a .415 OBP in faculty and a .410 OBP within the minors. Moderately, considered one of Kavadas’ largest issues has been leaving the bat on his shoulder when pitches are within the strike zone. His Z-swing% was 57.7%, one of many lowest charges within the majors. Within the minors, the proportion had been decrease nonetheless.
“I don’t swing at too many balls; I take too many strikes,” Kavadas stated. “That’s one of many causes I’m right here [in the Arizona Fall League]. I’m out right here making an attempt to get my swing off on 1-0 breaking balls, 2-1 breaking balls, and never simply taking them. Simply because I’m in a leverage depend doesn’t imply that I can’t swing at spin. In years previous, I’ve taken these — even when it’s not good spin — and let pitchers get again into the depend. So swinging at extra strikes is a purpose. If my chase charge ticks up a bit bit, I’m okay with that. The worth of a swing outweighs the worth of a take.”
Which brings us again to his not needing to swing exhausting as a way to pulverize baseballs. The Pink Sox revamped their hitting improvement program this previous season, with rising bat velocity some extent of emphasis. As Kavadis put it, “They positively needed to push guys to swing the bat quicker. I feel that was their no. 1 precedence.”
It was something however a precedence for Kavadas. Whereas he did often do a few of the bat-speed coaching, his purpose was to make extra contact, and he didn’t really feel that elevated bat velocity would assist him accomplish that. “What I would like is much less intent, not making an attempt to swing the bat quicker,” he reiterated. “Once more, with my energy I don’t must.”
Moonshots are the South Bend, Indiana native’s M.O., and I’ve seen a few of them firsthand. One which he hit excessive over the right-field foul pole in Double-A Portland two summers in the past — it was really dominated foul — was particularly majestic. Reminded of the blast in our latest dialog, Kavadas insisted that it had been honest, which it very effectively might need been. If reminiscence serves appropriate, the gap talked about within the Hadlock Discipline press field that night time was 440-something ft.
As for the facility he displayed upon arriving in Anaheim, Statcast numbers assist inform the story. One of many 4 residence runs he hit had an exit velocity of 107.9 mph and traveled 404 ft, whereas one other registered at 103.8 mph and 408 ft.
Not that he’s all that involved in regards to the readings and distances.
“How far they go and the way exhausting they’re hit isn’t vital to me,” claimed Kavadas. “How typically they ask ‘How exhausting?’ or ‘How far?’ is uncommon. What they ask is, ‘What number of?’”
For sure, rising the quantity of contact he makes would solely improve his “What number of.” Furthermore, it could vastly improve his probabilities of sticking within the large leagues. Missing the defensive expertise of a Joey Gallo, Kavadas realistically can’t afford to proceed putting out at such a excessive charge (32.5% as knowledgeable) if he hopes to have success at baseball’s highest stage. As he’s effectively conscious, the diploma to which his bat-to-ball expertise may be improved will go a great distance towards figuring out his future.
