Niko Kavadas had just lately 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 taking part in 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 price over 106 plate appearances — he did go deep 4 instances.
The 26-year-old first baseman very a lot stays a piece in progress, as evidenced by his having spent the final month-plus taking part in within the Arizona Fall League. And whereas assessing progress in an excessive hitter-friendly atmosphere will be tough, 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.
Once I caught as much as Kavadas previous to a Fall League recreation in October, the very first thing I wished 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 mentioned. “Since then, I’ve tried to seize a number of the low-hanging fruit and tackle a number of the swing-and-miss points. I’ve additionally tried to get on prime of the ball a bit of extra, which is one thing I’ve achieved a greater job of. However I’m all the time going to be a stocky, left-handed man who desires to hit the ball arduous, desires to hit the ball within the air, desires to swing at strikes, draw walks, and do harm when the ball is over the center [of the plate].”
There isn’t a disputing his potential to do harm. 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 measurement and power, he doesn’t must take an particularly wholesome hack with the intention to juice a baseball.
“That’s an enormous a part of it, understanding that I don’t must max out how arduous I’m swinging the bat,” Kavadas mentioned of the continued efforts to enhance his contact price. “For me, it’s extra in regards to the quantity of instances 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 consistent with what he’d achieved 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. Quite, one in all 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 share had been decrease nonetheless.
“I don’t swing at too many balls; I take too many strikes,” Kavadas mentioned. “That’s one of many causes I’m right here [in the Arizona Fall League]. I’m out right here attempting 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 rely 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 rely. So swinging at extra strikes is a objective. If my chase price ticks up a bit of 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 arduous with the intention to pulverize baseballs. The Pink Sox revamped their hitting improvement program this previous season, with growing bat velocity some extent of emphasis. As Kavadis put it, “They undoubtedly wished 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 sometimes do a number of the bat-speed coaching, his objective 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 attempting to swing the bat quicker,” he reiterated. “Once more, with my power 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 truly dominated foul — was particularly majestic. Reminded of the blast in our current dialog, Kavadas insisted that it had been truthful, which it very properly might need been. If reminiscence serves right, the space talked about within the Hadlock Discipline press field that night time was 440-something toes.
As for the ability 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 toes, whereas one other registered at 103.8 mph and 408 toes.
Not that he’s all that involved in regards to the readings and distances.
“How far they go and the way arduous they’re hit isn’t vital to me,” claimed Kavadas. “How typically they ask ‘How arduous?’ or ‘How far?’ is uncommon. What they ask is, ‘What number of?’”
Evidently, growing the quantity of contact he makes would solely improve his “What number of.” Furthermore, it might enormously improve his possibilities of sticking within the massive leagues. Missing the defensive abilities of a Joey Gallo, Kavadas realistically can’t afford to proceed putting out at such a excessive price (32.5% as an expert) if he hopes to have success at baseball’s highest stage. As he’s properly conscious, the diploma to which his bat-to-ball abilities will be improved will go a good distance towards figuring out his future.
