Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has had impressive early returns from his first two draft classes. Both first-round picks, Nick Yorke and Marcelo Mayer appear to be budding superstars.
That said, one of the players toward the bottom of their 2021 MLB Draft class is starting to enter the conversation of the organization's best.
Greenville Drive first baseman Niko Kavadas was drafted in the 11th round, No. 316 overall. He had the third-most home runs in the NCAA during his senior season and the most home runs per game (0.47). So far, that power has translated to the professional level.
The 23-year-old slugger recently earned a promotion to High-A Greenville after dominating Single-A Salem to the tune of a .286 average with 33 extra-base hits, including 14 home runs and 48 RBIs in 59 games. While he did have 70 strikeouts, he also had 54 walks in 192 at-bats, showing quality plate disciple for today's era.
His promotion only ignited the former Notre Dame star, as he's hit .500 with a pair of doubles, three home runs and six RBIs in four games for the Drive.
In his last couple of weeks, opposing pitchers have struggled immensely to keep Kavadas inside the ballpark. Let's play a game of did Kavadas hit a home run over that span:
June 14: Yes
June 15: No
June 16: Yes
June 17: Yes
June 18: Yes
June 19: No
June 20: No
June 21: Yes
June 22: Yes
June 23: Yes
June 24: Yes
June 25: Yes
June 26: No
June 27: No
June 28: Yes
In total, Kavadas is hitting .301 with 20 doubles, a triple, 17 home runs, 54 RBIs and a 1.112 OPS in 63 games. He'll have two struggles in front of him to reach the majors.
First, he'll have to replicate similar offensive production in the upper levels of the minor leagues, which he should get a crack at soon. Second, his play outside of the batter's box could be a barrier. Kavadas has well-below average speed and will be relegated to first base at best and designated hitter at worst.
That said, if he can rake like he has, the Red Sox wouldn't have much trouble finding a spot in the lineup for him.
