BY STEVE KRAH
Niko Kavadas was a force to be reckoned in high school and college and is now becoming the same as a professional baseball player.
The powerful lefty swinger excelled at Penn High School (Mishawaka, Ind.) and the University of Notre Dame.
Playing for Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Greg Dikos at Penn, Kavadas helped the Kingsmen win a Class 4A state championship as sophomore center fielder in 2015 and finish as 4A state runners-up as a senior shortstop in 2017.
Coached by Mik Aoki (2018-19) and Link Jarrett (2020-21) at Notre Dame, Kavadas played 161 games in a Fighting Irish uniform and hit .286 (158-of-552) with 46 home runs, 28 doubles, 144 runs batted in, 112 runs scored and a 1.002 OPS (.415 on-base percentage plus .587 slugging average).
In 2021, he thumped a single-season school record 22 homers, drove in 64 runs and was named to numerous All-American teams. He was a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and Golden Spikes Award.
That year also brought a Business Management and Consulting degree from Notre Dame.
Selected in the 11th round of the 2021 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Boston Red Sox, Kavadas became a pro.
In three minor league seasons (2021-23) and 252 games, he has hit
.242 (197-of-805) with 50 homers, one triple, 45 doubles, 161 RBIs, 143 runs, 337 strikeouts and 215 walks with a .903 OPS (.413/.489). He was the Red Sox Minor League Player of the Year and played briefly in the Arizona Fall League in 2022.
Splitting his time between the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs and Triple-A Worcester Red Sox in 2023, first baseman Kavadas played in 117 contests and hit .206 (76-of-369) with 22 homers, 16 doubles, 69 RBIs, 62 runs, 172 strikeouts and 98 walks with an .805 OPS (.377/.428).
A few times, Kavadas saw former Notre Dame teammate Nick Podkul (an Andrean High School graduate now in the Philadelphia Phillies system) in the opposing dugout.
Kavadas also made a point to follow former Irish outfielder Matt Vierling (Detroit Tigers) and infielder Jack Brannigan (Pittsburgh Pirates organization) and still communicates regularly with outfielder Jack Zyska (who played at ND 2019-23 and has transferred to the University of Central Florida where former Irish assistant Rich Wallace is now head coach).
Making the transition from college where teams tend to play weekend series with an occasional midweek contests to the minors and six games a week, Kavadas has embraced the grind.
“Now you’re playing every single day,” says Kavadas. “You have to find time prior to and after games to make improvements in your game or else you’re going to be static.”
Kavadas’ last game of the season for Worcester was on Sept. 22. He hustled home to Granger, Ind., and attended the wedding of older sister Abby then headed to Fort Myers, Fla., for a six-week camp.
“It was a big strength program,” says Kavadas. “Strength has always been something that’s come natural to me. Being more limber, having more range of motion and being quicker laterally has been a big focus for me since I’ve gotten to pro ball.
“I’ve lost a few pounds since my rookie season and I’m moving better. It’s less about moving more powerfully and moving faster and more agile.”
Kavadas, 25, carries about 225 pounds on his 6-foot frame.
“We had a lot of really good lifts and conditioning and were taking a lot of swings,” says Kavadas of his time in Fort Myers. “They have some really nice technology down there.”
Armed numbers from the season and the offensive-focused camp, Kavadas has spent time in the off-season putting that information to use with the help of Mike Marks.
While in high school, Kavadas, traveled to Sturgis, Mich., a few times a week to train with Marks at Hitters Edge.
Marks has opened a second facility in Osceola, Ind. — about 15 minutes from Kavadas’ home.
“Mike’s awesome,” says Kavadas. “Mike has this ability to make really complicated things really simple.”
Getting feedback from Marks gives him a direction to move in.
“That really helps me,” says Kavadas. “There’s so many things pulling me in so many directions.
“Mike’s able to take all the data, watch me take a few swings and say ‘You’re in a spot sport. We’re this close.’”
Kavadas and Riley Tirotta, a Mishawaka Marian High School graduate and Toronto Blue Jays minor leaguer, have been off-season regulars at the new digs.
After enjoying time with family (he is the second of Jim and Robin Kavadas’ four children behind Abby and ahead of youngest son C.J. and youngest daughter Tess) and friends around the holidays, Kavadas plans to head back to Florida in January for another six-week camp that leads right into spring training.
There’s more work to do.
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