Why Now Is Great Time for A's To Extend Nick Kurtz
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The A's are playing some great baseball to open up the month of June. They currently lead all of baseball in home runs since June 1st, and the leader in all of baseball in that time is Nick Kurtz.
Kurtz is coming off an amazing rookie campaign, where he took home the American League Rookie of the Year honors.
.476 ARE YOU KIDDING ME? pic.twitter.com/la8MhWJnm6
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) June 11, 2026
The first baseman was off to a slow start in 2026, but has quickly burst onto the scene, becoming one of the best hitters in all of baseball. Now, Kurtz is putting himself into strong contention for the MVP race.
His efforts have also kept the A's right around that .500 mark, which is very nice considering the A's have gone through their fair share of injuries. The team is luckily getting back Jacob Wilson and veteran starter Aaron Civale over the next week.
Nick Kurtz Is a Top Five Hitter in the Sport
The A's have one of the top offenses in all of baseball thanks to the emergence of Nick Kurtz. The former first overall selection from two summers ago has quickly turned into one of the best hitters in the game, after making his debut just last season.
As mentioned, he leads all of baseball in home runs since June 1st, and holds a career .288 AVG with 51 home runs since his debut.
Kurtz currently leads MLB in on-base percentage, as he sits at .438, with an MLB-leading 64 walks.
Nick Kurtz's stats & MLB ranks since 5/20/25...
— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) June 10, 2026
160 GP
706 PA
.298 AVG (4th)
.421 OBP (1st)
.626 SLG (1st)
.328 ISO (2nd)
.440 wOBA (1st)
183 wRC+ (1st)
130 Runs (3rd)
50 HR (5th)
129 RBI (3rd)
7.9 fWAR (5th)#Athleticspic.twitter.com/S0GBJ2mS7y
He also leads the American League in 49 runs batted in.
Last season, he didn't just win Rookie of the Year, but also got MVP votes. Kurtz finished 12th in MVP voting and also took home a Silver Slugger in his first-ever big league season. All his awards and accolades in just over a year in the league make him one of the best and scariest hitters in the entire sport.
Right Now Is the Perfect Time for an Extension
The team is currently in Las Vegas and is entering its second series against the Rockies, coming off a series win over a very impressive Brewers club. Against Colorado, they will play three more games before heading back to West Sacramento.
This series has been great for the A's to play in front of the fans that will be there when the team ultimately moves to Las Vegas in 2028. Those fans also got treated to a nice series win, and possibly the game of the year against an elite Brewers team.
While the A's are in Vegas, and showcasing this exciting young squad to them, it could be the perfect opportunity to hand out an extension to one of their best players. This will show the A's commitment to success while in Vegas.
The @Athletics win the series in Las Vegas! pic.twitter.com/6Ygz3p4joG
— MLB (@MLB) June 11, 2026
The A's could also elect to give an extension to Shea Langeliers, who has been the best catcher in all of baseball this season. He's also been one of the best hitters on the team, and will likely start for the American League in the All-Star game this summer.
No matter what, the A's are set for a bright future in Vegas, and locking down one of their stars while still in town could be a really good sign of things to come.
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Dylan Quinn grew up playing baseball, and also enjoyed watching and writing about his favorite team, the A’s. Being a diehard A’s fan from New Jersey is certainly not common, but he loves the team and all of the current and former players so much. Quinn currently attends school at Penn State Scranton where he plays baseball.
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