Los Angeles Angels No. 29 prospect Niko Kavadas has had a whirlwind 2024 season. He began the year with the Boston Red Sox in their Triple-A affiliate, then was traded at the deadline to the Angels as part of a multi-player package for Luis Garcia. He debuted with the Angels at the MLB level shortly after and by the end of the regular season had hit four Major League homers.
The Angels then opted to send him to the Arizona Fall League for some extra reps. There, he played for the Mesa Solar Sox, and was truly dominant. In 91 plate appearances over 20 games, Kavadas slashed .329/.462/.700 with an 1.162 OPS. 13 of his 23 hits were for extra bases, with six doubles, one triple and six home runs. He batted in 18 runs, walked 17 times and struck out 29 times.
That performance rightfully earned him AFL Offensive Player of the Year honors. It was the perfect finishing touch on what has been an incredible year for the first baseman. And he spoke about the Fall League itself and what it means to win those honors, via Jim Callis of MLB.com:
“The Fall League is awesome,” the Angels’ No. 29 prospect said. “It’s a big group of really, really talented players that all come together to compete, and to be named the Offensive Player of the Year is an absolute honor.
“I’m very lucky. I had an awesome experience out here in ’22. I had so much fun and I would have loved the opportunity to come back, but most times it only happens one time. So when the opportunity was presented to me, I was really excited to get back out to Arizona.”
The Angels may not have much need for Kavadas in the near future, as the Halos are set at his main position. But if the Angels wanted to transition him to third base — where he has played in small spurts before — they could ride the hot bat and do so.
Angels sign IF Kevin Newman
Newman, 31, is entering his eighth MLB season after spending five years with the Pittsburgh Pirates and one year each with the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks. His 2024 campaign with Arizona is what the Angels are banking on for Newman to be productive in Anaheim.
The veteran infielder played 111 games last season, posting a slash line of .278/.311/.375 with a .686 OPS and 91 OPS+. Those numbers by themselves are not necessarily inspiring, but Newman paired it with elite defense at the shortstop and second base position.
He combined for 10 defensive runs saved in his time manning the middle infield, and that’s exactly what the Angels are hoping for given a combination of factors.
The first is that they have some uncertainty at third base this offseason, with the status of Anthony Rendon on the roster — not just the starting lineup — in jeopardy. The Angels could find an outside signing to be the everyday player at the position, or they could turn to Luis Rengifo.
If the choose the latter, a spot at second base opens up for Newman. The other reason is that Zach Neto is expected to miss some time at the start of the season due to shoulder surgery, and this provides the Angels with a quality defensive backup.
