San Diego Padres: Three first baseman to target in 2020 MLB Draft

Niko Kavadas, Notre Dame

Niko Kavadas started 38 games as a true freshman at Notre Dame and saw playing time 47 games. He posted a .299/.409/.445 line with five home runs and 20 RBI over that time frame and spent the summer in the Northwest Woods League.

There he played in 57 games, which is rare for a summer league, and posted an .877 OPS with five home runs and 30 RBI with nearly the same strikeout-to-walk ratio as his freshman year. As noted, it’s encouraging for me to see players who can play well in wood-bat leagues, so Kavadas checks all the boxes.

Returning to campus for his sophomore year, Kavadas posted a .274/.390/.517 line with 13 doubles, 12 home runs, and 43 RBI to along with a 55-to-33 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Health is not a concern for him as both he and fellow infielder, Jared Miller, were the only two to play all 54 games.

Despite his success the previous summer, Kavadas played in the Cape Cod League, smacking a league-high nine home runs in 40 games. Prior to the shutdown, he posted a 1.006 OPS in 13 games and already had seven home runs on the year.

His defense at first base is above-average and is extremely athletic for a guy who is already 6-foot-2, 230 pounds.