Kavadas is the 367th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Kalamazoo Growler Niko Kavadas made his Major League debut for the Los Angeles Angels on Friday, August 16, 2024. Kavadas is the 367th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Kavadas, who played collegiately at the University of Notre Dame, played for the Kalamazoo Growlers in 2018. He was drafted in the 11th round of the 2021 MLB draft by the Boston Red Sox.
In 2018 with the Growlers, Kavadas played in 57 games and hit .308 with five home runs, 16 doubles, and 30 RBI.
Kavadas began his professional career in 2021 with the Red Sox Rookie Level team in the Florida Complex League. After eight games he moved to the Salem Red Sox of the Low-A East League. In 15 games he hit .356 with two home runs, four doubles, 10 runs scored and six RBI.
In 2022 Kavadas started the season in Salem and then went up to the Greenville Drive of the High-A South Atlantic League. After 37 games in Greenville, he was promoted to the Portland Sea Dogs of the AA Eastern League. For the season Kavadas played in 120 games and hit .280 with 26 home runs, 25 doubles and one triple. He drove in 86, scored 71 times and stole a base.
Kavadas started the 2023 season with Portland and then was sent to the Worcester Red Sox of the AAA International League to end the season. In 117 games between the two clubs, he hit .206 with 22 home runs, 16 doubles, and 62 runs scored. He also had 69 RBI and two stolen bases.
Prior to his callup to the Red Sox, Kavadas had played in 83 games with Worcester before being traded to the Angels in the trade that sent Luis Garcia to Boston. Kavadas was sent to the Salt Lake Bees of the AAA Pacific Coast League. Across 94 games he was hitting .264 with 19 home runs, 67 RBI and 61 runs scored. In his Major League debut against the Atlanta Braves, Kavadas started the game at designated hitter and went 0 for 3 at the plate with a walk.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 26 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, over 365 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network. Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at watchnwl.com. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.