Niko Kavadas came over to the Los Angeles Angels in a trade deadline day deal that was announced minutes after 3:00 p.m. PT had formally passed on July 30. He was one of four minor leaguers dealt to Anaheim in a deal that sent Luis Garcia to the Boston Red Sox.
At the time of the trade, Kavadas was in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on a road trip with Boston’s Triple-A Worcester affiliate. He then packed his bags and joined Triple-A Salt Lake on their road trip that began in Tacoma and ended in Sacramento. He played 11 games with the Bees before he was called up to the Majors to join the Angels.
In a span of under three weeks, he went from Red Sox minor leaguer to Angels designated hitter. But he has appreciated every step of what has been an admittedly crazy journey, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
“It was just an absolute whirlwind,” Kavadas said. “I’ve been in so many cities in the last three or four weeks. And seeing so many new things. Seeing the mountains and seeing Sacramento, and now to be here, it’s really special.”
Kavadas has already played two games with the Angels. He has yet to record his first Major League hit, but has reached base safely via a walk in six plate appearances. And it was his profile as a hitter that originally piqued manager Ron Washington’s interest.
“He’s a guy with some pop in his bat,” Washington said. “And he’s used to hitting in the four-hole.”
Kavadas is the No. 30 prospect in the Angels farm system according to MLB Pipeline. He is known for his powerful, yet disciplined bat. But is not considered an above average defender at first base or as a runner. And since he shares the first base position with one of the team’s young cornerstones in Nolan Schanuel, it’s likely his role will stay at DH.
Hopefully, Kavadas can stick around the big league team for a little while and get some consistency in what has been a hectic few weeks.
Christian Moore debuts as Angels’ No. 2 prospect
Christian Moore’s debut on MLB Pipeline is about as high up as could possibly be expected. Moore finds himself as the No. 2 prospect in the Angels organization, behind only pitcher Caden Dana, and is No. 81 overall in MLB.
He is one of just two Angels — Dana — to be named to the top 100 and he does so after only a couple weeks of minor league play. Dana comes in at No. 75, a small upgrade from where he began the 2024 season.
And while the Angels still rank at the bottom of Major League farm systems, there is finally some reason for hope as it seems they have two star-quality players leading the way. Moore and Dana are 21 and 20 years old, respectively, and both are expected to make their debuts with the big-league team by the start of the 2025 campaign.