The Angels are calling up first baseman/designated hitter Niko Kavadas to make his main league debut, as first reported by Chuck Freeby. In an effort to make house for Kavadas on the roster, the Angels will designate infielder Luis Guillorme for task, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register provides. The Halos are additionally reportedly set to pick out the contract of infielder Jack Lopez and designate Willie Calhoun for task. All of these strikes shall be introduced later as we speak.
Kavadas, 25, was acquired from the Crimson Sox alongside three different minor leaguers within the commerce sending reliever Luis Garcia to Boston previous to the deadline. He’s posted a mixed .264/.400/.521 slash between the 2 organizations’ Triple-A associates this yr, although it’s price noting he’s struggled mightily with the Angels’ high affiliate in Salt Lake, batting simply .159/.229/.341 in 48 plate appearances.
An Eleventh-round choose by the Crimson Sox in 2021, Kavadas has clear plus energy. He hit 26 homers in 515 plate appearances throughout three ranges in 2022, belted 22 homers in simply 480 plate appearances final yr, and already has 19 lengthy balls in 383 plate appearances this season.
That big-time energy comes with a well-recognized purple flag, nonetheless, within the type of strikeouts. Followers have seen loads of three-true-outcomes sluggers through the years, and Kavadas embodies that method to its fullest extent. A whopping 57% of his skilled plate appearances have resulted in both a homer, stroll or strikeout. This season, he’s punched out in 33.9% of his plate appearances — and that’s really an enchancment over final yr’s 35.8% mark. He’s additionally drawn a stroll in a gaudy 16.2% of his journeys to the plate.
The 6’1″, 235-pound Kavadas is a nicely below-average runner, and scouting reviews peg his glovework at first base to be below-average as nicely. His enormous energy is his carrying device, and whether or not he’s capable of make sufficient contact to get to that energy with regularity will decide the kind of future he has. Gamers who whiff this a lot within the higher minors don’t are inclined to make sufficient contact to achieve the massive leagues, though Baseball America wrote in 2023 that Kavadas is an “clever hitter” with no less than an opportunity to shut a number of the holes in his swing as he good points extra expertise.
Nolan Schanuel, the Angels’ 2023 first-rounder, skyrocketed to the majors lower than two months after being drafted and has settled in as the first first baseman. The 22-year-old Schanuel is in some ways the alternative of Kavadas: a first-base prospect with elite bat-to-ball expertise however extra a extra suspect energy profile.
After a sluggish begin to the season, Schanuel is hitting .269/.382/.409 with almost as many walks (14.6%) as strikeouts (15.2%) by his previous 250 journeys to the plate. He’s slumped recently, however the Angels presumably wish to hold getting him publicity to huge league pitching. That the promotion of Kavadas coincides with the DFA of Calhoun — who’s seen 60 video games at designated hitter this yr — means that Kavadas and his concurrently thunderous and porous left-handed bat may get the majority of the Angels’ DH reps down the stretch.
As for the 29-year-old Guillorme, he’s break up the season between the Braves and Angels, batting a mixed .218/.285/.290 in 138 plate appearances. He’s by no means been a giant risk on the plate, however the versatile Guillorme affords sturdy infield protection throughout second base, shortstop and third base. He’s a profession .254/.336/.327 hitter in 961 plate appearances — the overwhelming majority of which got here with the Mets from 2018-23.
With the commerce deadline behind us, Guillorme shall be positioned on outright waivers or launched. He’s incomes only a $1.1MM base wage this season and has about $266K of that but to be paid out. He’s versatile, skilled and inexpensive sufficient that one other membership would possibly think about putting a declare. Guillorme has greater than 5 years of service, that means he can reject an outright task in favor of free company and retain his complete wage. As such, if he clears waivers he’ll certainly turn into a free agent and look to latch on with a brand new membership — probably on a minor league deal. The brand new group would solely owe him the prorated minimal for any time spent on the MLB roster/injured record.
