A's Nick Kurtz is Mashing His Way Into the Rookie of the Year Conversation

Nick Kurtz made his debut in late April, but he's slugging his way into the AL Rookie of the Year conversation along with teammate Jacob Wilson

Jul 11, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz (16) hits an infield single during the first inning of the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

On Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays, Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz slugged his 16th home run of the season against future Hall-of-Famer, Max Scherzer. Kurtz opened his day with an infield single and a walk off Scherzer, but his third time to the plate would end with a 433-foot bomb off the batter's eye.

Kurtz crushes his 16th bomb of the season 💣 pic.twitter.com/NnSLRP5TGG

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) July 12, 2025

Kurtz is currently sitting on 16 home runs in just 56 games played, which leads all rookies. Miami Marlins' backstop Augustin Ramirez is the next-closest with 14, and he has nearly 100 more at-bats than the A's first baseman.

The current favorite for the American League Rookie of the Year is Kurtz's teammate, Jacob Wilson. Both Kurtz and Wilson were selected in the first round by the A's in back-to-back years, as the club selected Wilson in 2023 out of Grand Canyon University, and then Kurtz last year in 2024 out of Wake Forest.

The competition will certainly be difficult for Kurtz, as Jacob Wilson is the starting shortstop for the American League in the 2025 MLB All-Star game. The A's shortstop holds a strong .335 AVG with an .847 OPS. Kurtz now holds an OPS of .873 following his home run against Toronto.

As mentioned, Kurtz was just selected by the A's with the fourth overall pick less than a year ago. He was fast-tracked all the way up to Double-A during the same season in which he was drafted, slugging his way at every stop. The first baseman would work his way up to Triple-A this season, and would continue on the fast track to the big leagues, making his MLB debut just months after being drafted.

Kurtz would struggle to find power for a while in the first couple of weeks in the big leagues. However, once he found his power stroke, he has been unstoppable at the plate. In his last seven games, he has four home runs, one of which was a clutch game-tying home run Thursday night against the Atlanta Braves that ultimately led to a walk-off win. In this stretch, Kurtz holds a .320 average with a .920 slugging percentage.

Clearly, Kurtz didn't take long at all to adjust to Major League pitching, and already looks like a seasoned veteran at the plate. He is certainly going to give Jacob Wilson a run for his money for the Rookie of the Year award, but it's going to be a tough task to beat out the starting shortstop for the American League All-Star team.

Even if he doesn't win the award, he's becoming a star in front of everyone's eyes, and certainly a centerpiece to the middle of the A's lineup moving forward.