A Small Sample, But a Big Sign For Nick Kurtz

It's only been three games, but Kurtz is already showing progress

Aug 19, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz (16) hits a RBI double against the Minnesota Twins in the fourth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Athletics are coming off of a rough series, where they set an MLB record for most strikeouts in an opening series with 50, but they also ended up playing three close games against the defending American League champions. Two of those losses were in walk-off form, which both add some heartbreak, but also show how close these games ended up being.

While the results weren't there for the green and gold, there were still some positives to take away from this series. Shea Langeliers tore the cover off the ball all series, hitting three home runs and etching himself into A's history alongside Al Simmons as the only two players in A's history to hit three homers in the team's first two games.

Outside of Langeliers, much of the rest of the offense was fairly quiet. He went 6-for-12 (.500) in the three-game series, while the other eight players in the lineup combined for just ten hits all series, going 10-for-90 (.111) with 46 strikeouts.

On the bright side, Nick Kurtz showed some progress on Sunday that could be a huge positive sign of what's to come in 2026.

Small Sample, High Hopes

Feb 23, 2026; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz (16) in the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

While it's been just three games and Kurtz only has one hit on the year, that base knock came on Sunday with left-hander Eric Lauer on the bump. Last season he went 27-for-137 against southpaws, good for a .197 batting average. He also walked 12 times against lefties last season, bumping his on-base percentage up to .261.

This is just one hit in the third game of a 162-game season, but he also smoked it 112.5 miles per hour off the bat, just to the right of second base and into center field. Was his also a center-cut fastball? Yes. But he still hit it hard and got himself on base.

Speaking of getting on base, Kurtz has also drawn a pair of walks against southpaws, which is the truly impressive part of his weekend, since he walked just 12 times against lefties last season. Granted, he played just 117 games in 2025, but even over a full 162-game campaign he was on pace for just under 17 over a whole season.

Right now he's on pace for 108 walks against left-handers. Obviously that's a high mark to strive for, given that we don't know how many opportunities he'll end up getting against them this season, but that's what the numbers come out to in this small sample. That's also part of the fun of small sample sizes, like Langeliers being on pace for 162 home runs.

Regardless of the sample size, this is seemingly a big change for the A's first baseman, and it could lead to Kurtz reaching another level to his game in year two. If he does, then he'll just continue adding money to any extension talks between himself and the Athletics in the years to come.

For more A's news and insights, follow Jason @ByJasonB on X, or the site @InsideTheAs!