Nick Kurtz is Surging into the History Books, and Pitchers Are Going to Let Him
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Nick Kurtz goes up to the plate looking to do damage. That's why pitchers have walked him straight into the record books.
On Friday night in West Sacramento in front of 12,122 fans, Kurtz drew a walk off Cleveland's Hunter Gaddis to load the bases in the bottom of the seventh, marking his 20th straight game with a walk. Kurtz is now tied with Barry Bonds' streak encompassing the 2002 and 2003 seasons, and two shy of tying Roy Cullenbine's record of 22 set in 1947.
While more people are aware of the greatness of Barry Bonds at that time in his career, especially anecdotes like getting walked with the bases loaded, or finishing his career with the most walks all time with 2,558 in 22 seasons, people are less familiar with the name Roy Cullenbine. He walked 137 times in 1947, then never played another game in the majors.
Why pitchers keep avoiding Nick Kurtz
Nick Kurtz leads MLB in walks this season with 34, and it has put him on the verge of a record that has stood for 79 years. While he is batting .236, he holds a .417 on-base percentage with an .835 OPS, and his batted ball data is why pitchers are apprehensive to go after him — there's a good chance they won't win that battle.
Not only does he have the eye at the plate, but he also has some of the best bat speed in the game, ranking in the 98th percentile in 2026. That bat speed means that when he makes contact, it's loud. Last season Kurtz crushed the longest home run of the year at 493 feet off of Reds reliever Scott Barlow — who is now a member of the A's. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
His barrel rate is in the 97th percentile. His average exit velocity is the second-highest of any hitter at 96.4 mph, trailing just James Wood of the Washington Nationals. Wood ranks third in MLB in walks with 31.
Every day, pitchers face a choice: attack Kurtz's limited weaknesses, or pitch around the A's most dangerous bat.
The problem for pitchers is that when the game situation tends to get bigger, that's when Kurtz is at his most dangerous, looking to do damage on anything he can get his bat to. He also remains poised, and doesn't chase a ton in those situations.
His 0.81 Clutch score ranks eighth in baseball, in the same league with San Diego's Jackson Merrill and Kansas City's Bobby Witt Jr. — neither of whom match Kurtz's raw power. When a big situation occurs, he's one of the best guys in baseball to have up at the plate.
Pitchers aren't taking their chances.
Kurtz will get his pitches soon enough
It's one thing to pitch around a player because they're dominant. The data backs up the decision on both sides. Kurtz is a feared hitter, despite what the counting stats are saying, and pitchers would prefer to see someone else try and beat them.
That's where things have been interesting.
Brent Rooker hasn't been off to the start he would have liked, missing a couple of weeks due to an oblique injury in April, but also going just 2-for-33 (.061) in that span. One of those hits happened to also be a walk-off home run against the Houston Astros.
On Friday night, Rooker smacked a two-run homer in his first at-bat of May, and added an RBI single later in the game. The hope here is that his bat is warming up, and when it does, Kurtz will begin to see more pitches to hit with Jacob Wilson also warming up recently, and Shea Langeliers staying hot all season.
The A's offense hasn't even come close to firing on all cylinders.
Cullenbine's time to shine
Roy Cullenbine is a new name to many baseball fans this last week, given that he last played 79 years ago.
He began his career with the Detroit Tigers in 1938, and finished up with them in 1947, but played for five other teams in between those stints. He had a dazzling 1947 season, drawing 137 walks in total, but he hit just .224 with a .401 on-base percentage — OBP was undervalued at the time — and was sent to the Philadelphia Phillies during the offseason.
He showed up to camp overweight, and his roster spot wasn't as safe as he thought it was, as a 21-year-old future Hall of Famer named Richie Ashburn would win his outfield spot. Cullenbine was released by Philadelphia in April 1948 and never played again.
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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. Mason Miller once said he likes Jason's content.
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