Angels prospect Kavadas capping whirlwind year by showing off power in Fall League

PHOENIX -- It’s not often that a batter in the Arizona Fall League already has his first Major League homer under his belt. It’s also a rare occurrence for a hitter to return, particularly two years later.

But Niko Kavadas finds himself back in the desert after a roller-coaster summer that saw him dealt at the Trade Deadline before a cavalcade of firsts came down the chute.

Baseball is often a reminder: The margins between success and failure are thin. Behind in a two-strike count during his first at-bat for Mesa in an eventual 14-10 win over Peoria at Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark on Friday night, Kavadas nearly chased a high fastball out of the zone. Upon appeal, third-base umpire Dexter Kelley held his arms out wide -- no swing.

The next pitch? There certainly was a swing.

Kavadas demolished a cutter that came in down the heart of the plate near the scoreboard beyond the right-center-field fence. It marked his third Fall League homer in 10 games, as he finished the contest with a .333 average and a 1.200 OPS.

The last time that Kavadas was in Arizona, he had just gotten done tearing up the lower levels of the Red Sox system in 2022. He was looking to put a capper on a 120-game season that saw him reach Double-A, in hopes his success would put him on the big league radar one day. That day came on Aug. 16, 2024 -- as a member of the Angels.

The Trade Deadline is a topsy-turvy time, not just for the big leaguers who get moved in hopes of increasing their club’s chances at a pennant, but for the prospects who head in the other direction as well. Boston was all Kavadas had ever known since he was an 11th-round Draft choice in 2021, but when the Red Sox added a relief arm in Luis García, the slugging first baseman was part of the four-player return package.

“I flew from Worcester, Mass., to Tacoma, Wash., and met the Triple-A team, and I was there two and half weeks and I had finally started to get a vibe of what the organization was about, what the team was about,” Kavadas said. “And the next thing you know, I was in the big leagues and meeting a whole new group of guys and, you know, it's been an absolute roller coaster.

“To come down here and meet some of the prospects and … all of the guys that we have that are down here, it's a unique experience and I'm happy to get to know them.”

Kavadas’ Solar Sox stint has allowed him the chance to hit reset on a six-week run in the bigs, where he ran into some top-tier pitching. First hit, first RBI and first homer are all in the books, but the next step is improving upon a .616 OPS and a 38.7 percent strikeout rate.

“They said, ‘Hey, we have a roster spot open. Would you be interested in taking it?’ You know, my body's in a great position. My mind's in a great position,” Kavadas said. “I'm excited to take advantage of this opportunity.”

But Kavadas hasn’t been in the desert to merely mash and rediscover his stroke. With a glut of skilled first basemen on the Mesa roster, the math bared out a reality: Someone would have to grab an outfielder’s glove. Enter Kavadas, who hadn’t played in the outfield since 2018 in the summer collegiate Northwoods League as a 19-year-old. Through two games, it’s all thumbs up for the newest addition to his skill set.

“It's been awesome, man,” Kavadas said. “I really enjoy it out there. It's fun learning a new position and it's a good way to lock in during the game. You're on pins and needles because it's something you haven't done. You're really locked in, and I've had a lot of fun learning to play left field again.”

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The ball has a way of finding fielders at new positions. In Kavadas’ first inning in left field for Mesa on Oct. 18, the second batter of the game hit a soaring smash down the left-field line at Camelback Ranch, a notoriously finicky sun to combat for even the most experienced outfielders. But the Angels’ No. 29 prospect took off on a sprint, leaped and came down with the ball for the out, passing his first test with aplomb.

But for all of the attempts at defensive flexibility, Kavadas’ bat will be what carries him. With a career .410 on-base percentage in the Minors, along with 67 homers over the past three years, the left-handed hitter profiles as a middle of the order masher, something he immediately took on in his Angels debut, making club history.

Or as the old saying goes: Hit, and they’ll find a place for your bat in the lineup.