The 2021 MLB Draft will begin on July 11, 2021. We take a look at Niko Kavadas, a big-bodied first baseman known for his strong, powerful, and ferocious approach at the plate.
Make sure to check out all of our other MLB Draft Profiles.
Niko Kavadas, First Baseman, Notre Dame
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 235 lbs.
Age: 22
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
2018: 47G, .299/.405/.445, 41 H, 20 RBI, 5 HR, 18 BB, 24 K
2019: 54G, .274/.390/.517, 55 H, 43 RBI, 12 HR, 33 BB, 55 K
2020: 14G, .255/.333/.673, 14 H, 17 RBI, 7 HR, 8 BB, 11 K
2021: 47G, .302/.473/.767, 48 H, 64 RBI, 22 HR, 50 BB, 55 K
Scouting Grades
Hit: 50
Power: 60
Run: 20
Field: 40
Throw: 40
Evidently, Kavadas is going to be drafted for his bat and not for his fielding or baserunning ability. That’s okay, though, because he has put together tremendous stat lines at the plate throughout for years with Notre Dame. Always capable of producing enormous slugging percentages, Kavadas is a frequent threat with the bat in his hands from the left side of the plate.
Strengths
Power is, obviously, Kavadas’s greatest strength. He is capable of absolutely putting a charge into the baseball with his polished and aggressive swing. In fact, Kavadas blasted home runs in each of his first two at-bats of the 2021 season. He finished his college career with 46 homers and 144 RBI over 162 games. He has boasted incredible exit velocity numbers while also remaining smart and level-headed at the plate.
Speaking of being smart at the plate, that’s Kavadas’s second-biggest weakness. In today’s MLB, a larger frame and greater pursuit of power directly correlate to a higher strikeout rate. Kavadas has struck out roughly once per game over the last three seasons, but he’s also drawn decent walk rates (1.2 K/BB throughout the last two years). This could work wonders for his draft stock because it proves that despite being capable of producing loud power, that’s not the only thing he is good at. Rather, he can identify pitches and work on hitting the ball with a cool, calm, and intelligent approach.
Weaknesses
Running is the most obvious weakness when it comes to Kavadas’s game. He might move up a base every couple of years thanks to a passed ball or free stolen base, but it’s not going to happen often by any means. He’s one of the slowest players in the draft and has no range or baserunning ability.
Kavadas is also poor defensively, so while he’s listed as a first baseman, he’ll presumably spend most of his time in professional baseball as a designated hitter. He is below average in terms of both glovework and throwing, and there’s no belief (nor is there motivation) that this will change one bit. Not only is he is a bat-first player, but Kavadas is essentially a bat-only player, too.
Pro Comparison: Matt Adams
The choice to compare Kavadas with Adams makes a lot of sense. Both are left-handed batters and right-handed throwers with similar physical profiles in terms of size. Adams launched 61 homers from 2017 to 2019, so there is blatant evidence that he can hit for power. He went yard 15-plus times in six of seven seasons from 2013 to 2019, too. Further, Adams is tremendously slow; the current Colorado Rockie hasn’t swiped a bag since 2015 with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Perhaps the biggest difference is their vision at the plate. Adams has logged nearly four times as many strikeouts than walks in his career, though he’s only at roughly two times as many strikeouts than walks in 2021.
Draft Projection: Fourth-Round Pick
No team is going to be overly aggressive in pursuit of a player who is a liability in the field. Still, he swings a hot bat, which will be good enough to get him drafted in the first quarter or so of the draft this fall. Kavadas has drawn hype as a fourth- or fifth-round pick, and given his proven power from the left side of the plate, such projections are quite reasonable.
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Main Image Credit: Michael Caterina/Associated Press
