San Diego Padres Draft: Niko Kavadas pro comparisons and interview

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(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Niko Kavadas is one of the more interesting options that the San Diego Padres may consider in this draft. We recently had the chance to catch up with him.

At 6-foot-1, 235 pounds, Niko Kavadas presents an intriguing opportunity for the San Diego Padres in this draft. He experienced a breakout campaign in 2019 where he slashed .274/.390/.517 with 13 doubles, 12 home runs, and 43 RBI.

Before the shutdown, he was off to a blazing start this year, posting a 1.006 OPS with seven bombs and 17 RBI through the first 13 games. We recently pegged him as one of the first basemen that the Padres should consider in this draft.

He’s played all over the infield and even spent time at the designated hitter role for Notre Dame. When we recently spoke with him, Kavadas envisions himself as a future third baseman or left fielder, which conflicts with Baseball America‘s profile.

Based on his career statistics at Notre Dame, Kavadas closely profiles with Kyle Schwarber as a left-fielder and Josh Donaldson as a third baseman.

Schwarber 2019: 11.5% BB, 25.6% K, .250/.339/.531 line

Donaldson 2019: 15.2% BB, 23.5% K, .259/.379/.521 line

Kavadas Notre Dame career: 12.4% BB, 18.9% K, .280/.389/.514 line

Q: After experiencing tremendous success in your freshman year, you participated in the Northwoods League during the summer of 2018. What goals did you set out for yourself in a wood-bat league that you may not have achieved at Notre Dame?

A: Throughout my time in the Northwoods, my main goal was to increase the frequency in which I made hard barrel contact, particularly against left-handed pitching. The Northwoods league was perfect for working on this goal because we played over 70 games, so I was able to get an extraordinary number of at-bats and challenge myself against a variety of different left-handed pitchers.

Towards the end of my freshman season at Notre Dame, I began to incorporate a leg kick to improve my timing and power, so additionally, the Northwoods was the ideal league for me to continue honing in my ability to time pitches and deliver the barrel with the leg kick.

(Photo by Andy Hayt/San Diego Padres/Getty Images) /

As noted, Kavadas envisions himself at third base or in left field.

Q: You have played all over defensively. Baseball America lists you as a first baseman, but your primary starts last year came at third base and the designated hitter role. Where do you see yourself playing in the big leagues?

A: I see myself as being an everyday third baseman or left fielder at the major league level. Growing up and throughout high school, I was a centerfielder. Because of this, I believe I would be more than capable of relearning and retrieving my ability to run down fly balls and deliver throws to bases.

Also, because I played outfield my whole life prior to college, I still have so much to learn and so much room to develop as an infielder. After really only playing two full seasons of the infield, I feel I have improved greatly and yet have so much more potential to tap into defensively as my career progresses.

Q: What was it like for you, personally, having to deal with a head coaching change after experiencing your best season on campus?

A: Experiencing a coaching change was very difficult for me because it came with so many uncertainties. I spent much of my summer researching potential coaches and trying to understand their philosophies, as well as speculating what my junior year would look like under these new coaches. When Coach Jarrett got the job, I asked anyone and everyone I was in contact with for information about him, and everyone had nothing but positive things to say.

Because of this, I had extremely high expectations heading back to campus. Coach Jarrett not only lived up to but exceeded each of my expectations, and was a major influence on the great success our team had in the first few weeks of our abbreviated season.

Q: During the summer of 2019, you participated in the Cape Cod League. Were there any different goals that you were trying to accomplish playing there, and what would you say was your biggest takeaway from playing in two wood-bat leagues?

A: During my 2019 summer in the Cape Cod League, my main goal was to prove that I can hit for elite power with a wood bat against the best competition in the world. I personally like hitting with wood bats better. I believe that mechanically you have to be right with a wood bat as opposed to a metal bat where pure strength is often enough to be successful.

I would say my biggest takeaway is that I don’t need to muscle up to hit the ball out of the yard. Staying within myself and flicking balls all around the yard is enough to hit for power to all fields.

(Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images) /

Before the shutdown, Kavadas already had seven homers.

Q: Prior to the shutdown, you were off to a tremendous start this season. Seven home runs in your first 13 games. What can your attribute to the power surge that would have put you on pace for 25-30 home runs? And what are you doing to stay ready during this downtime?

A: I really started to catch my stride this season the weekend at Presbyterian. There I was able to find my timing and work on staying on top of baseballs to the backside. In BP I was able to hit balls that looked like 2-irons in the opposite field gap, and that’s how I knew I was locked in. As I stated before, I think the surge in power came from not trying to do too much, staying within myself, and realizing 415 feet is enough and 470 feet doesn’t come with a bonus.

During this downtime, I am getting outside and swinging on fields I used to play on as a child. I am blessed to have a backyard that’s big enough to throw a baseball in every day and a squat rack in the basement to help stay in shape. All of this quarantine time has allowed me to put my body in an ideal position where I feel extremely strong and fit. I am also blessed to have a little brother who also plays baseball, so he works wonders as a designated catch partner and BP thrower.

Q: What measures have you done or identified that you can do to reduce the number of strikeouts?

A: To reduce the number of strikeouts, I think it’s important to make quality contact early in the count. This summer I was told “The best two-strike hitters don’t hit with two strikes very often” and that really stuck with me. Additionally, I believe command of the strike zone and discipline is important to reducing strikeouts.

Being aggressive on balls you can take advantage of and not expanding the strike zone too far with two strikes are ways in which I can reduce the number of strikeouts in upcoming seasons.

A special thank you to Niko (@nikkavadas22) for taking the time to speak with us! We wish you the best with your professional career and the draft process.

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Niko Kavadas is one of the more interesting options that the San Diego Padres may consider in this draft. We recently had the chance to catch up with him.

As noted, Kavadas envisions himself at third base or in left field.

Before the shutdown, Kavadas already had seven homers.

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