The Red Sox have promoted power-hitting prospect Niko Kavadas from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, per the team’s minor-league transactions log.
Selected by Boston in the 11th round of last year’s draft out of the University of Notre Dame, Kavadas began his first full professional season with Low-A Salem. The left-handed hitting first baseman proceeded to slash .286/.453/.609 with 14 home runs and 48 RBIs in 59 games with the Red Sox, prompting a promotion to Greenville in late June.
From there, Kavadas turned things up a notch by batting .308/.472/.592 to go along with four doubles, 10 home runs, 28 RBIs, 27 runs scored, 32 walks, and 42 strikeouts over 37 games (161 plate appearances) with the Drive leading up to Thursday’s promotion.
Among South Atlantic League hitters who have made at least 160 trips to the plate this season, Kavadas ranks second in walk rate (19.9%), 10th in batting average, first in on-base percentage, third in slugging percentage, second in OPS (1.064), third in isolated power (.283), and first in wRC+ (184), per FanGraphs.
Defensively, Kavadas has seen all his playing time this year come at first base. The 6-foot-1, 235-pounder has logged 612 total innings at the position between Salem and Greenville and has committed seven errors. It is safe to say he has a bat-first profile.
A native of Indiana, Kavadas is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 30 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The 23-year-old was previously unranked but has certainly put himself on the map this season.
Kavadas, who turns 24 in October, becomes the latest notable Red Sox prospect to make the jump from Greenville to Portland this year, joining the likes of Shane Drohan, Brian Van Belle, Alex Binelas, Nick Northcut, and Ceddanne Rafaela.
(Picture of Niko Kavadas: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)
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