What Makes Nick Kurtz Great? Detroit's Tarik Skubal Has an Idea
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The slow rollout of awards has begun this offseason, with first baseman Nick Kurtz, catcher Shea Langeliers and DH Brent Rooker all nominated for Silver Slugger awards, while righty Luis Severino and new left fielder Tyler Soderstrom are nominated for Gold Gloves.
Kurtz, who is expected to win the American League's Rookie of the Year award in a landslide, was also voted as the AL's Outstanding Rookie by his peers.
Along with the recognition, there was also a small video package that was released by the MLBPA, talking to Seattle's Cal Raleigh, Atlanta's Ronald Acuña Jr., and Detroit's Tarik Skubal, who is projected to win the AL Cy Young for the second straight season about Kurtz's debut campaign.
“How life can change in one year is pretty crazy.”
— MLBPA (@MLBPA) October 29, 2025
Congratulations, Nick, on being voted by your peers as the AL Outstanding Rookie! Each year, Players vote in the Players Choice Awards, and this year, they have recognized Kurtz as the standout rookie in the American League.… pic.twitter.com/hj2PmuW5q9
Skubal broke down why Kurtz is such a fearsome bat to face, even for someone of his caliber, saying, "He hits the ball hard, he hits it far. He doesn't chase. Takes good swings. He kinda does everything you want to see out of a hitter and a first baseman. I think he plays a pretty good first base."
Kurtz ended his rookie year with 36 home runs, a .290 batting average, a .383 OBP and an OPS of 1.002. He was one of just three players in baseball with at least 400 plate appearances to have an OPS over 1.000, joining Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. That's pretty impressive company for anybody, but even more so for a rookie.
It also speaks to how mature his approach is at the dish given his age and big-league experience, which is what Mariners' catcher Cal Raleigh touched on.
"For such a young guy to come up that quickly, and to be dominating and having that kind of approach in his first season, that's just really impressive. It takes guys sometimes years and years to crack in to have success in this league."
Raleigh also came in at the end of the video to congratulate him, but perhaps because they're divisional rivals, the well wishes were somewhat monotone in a funny twist.
"Congrats, Nick. We're super happy for ya, and best of luck next year."
Acuña said that after playing against the A's in Sacramento, Kurtz has his respect and admiration.
The day that Kurtz was drafted by the A's, scouting director Eric Kubota told us that the Wake Forest first baseman was at the top of their draft board from the time they started scouting, to the moment they took him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. That's why, despite the A's not winning the draft lottery, and even moving down three spots, they were still happy on draft day.
Rolling into 2026, there will be immense expectations heaped upon Kurtz, who has still yet to play a full big-league season. But after what he showed everyone in 2025, it sure seems like he can handle the pressure.
Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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