Minor League Baseball

Athletics Top Prospect Nick Kurtz Hitting Home Runs at Historic Rate in Triple-A

By crushing six home runs in the first 10 games of the Las Vegas Aviators' season, Nick Kurtz established himself as one of the top power hitters in Triple-A over the last 20 years.
Sam Connon|
Charlotte, NC, USA; Wake Forest outfielder Nick Kurtz (8) celebrates a two run homer in the twelfth inning against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the ACC Baseball Tournament at Truist Field.
Charlotte, NC, USA; Wake Forest outfielder Nick Kurtz (8) celebrates a two run homer in the twelfth inning against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the ACC Baseball Tournament at Truist Field. | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

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Oakland Athletics

The Athletics knew they were getting a special power hitter when they selected Nick Kurtz out of Wake Forest last summer, and the first baseman is already living up to the hype.

Kurtz, who went No. 4 overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, has been in Triple-A for less than two weeks. No player in the Las Vegas Aviators' lineup as been anywhere near as explosive as the youngster, though.

Following his 1-for-5 showing with a two-run home run against the El Paso Chihuahuas on Wednesday, Kurtz is now batting .386 with a 1.335 OPS. Kurtz has already recorded six home runs, five doubles and 17 RBIs through 10 games of action.

As noted by MLB Pipeline, only two minor leaguers in full-season ball have hit more home runs in the first 10 games of a season since 2005.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell hit seven with Triple-A Salt Lake in 2023, after he had already spent parts of three seasons in the majors. New York Yankees first baseman Jorge Vazquez did the same with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2011, at which point he was 29 years old.

Kurtz is a 22-year-old who was playing college ball this time last year.

In 164 career NCAA appearances, Kurtz hit .333 with 61 home runs, 35 doubles, 182 RBIs, 189 walks and a 1.235 OPS. Between Single-A, Double-A and the Arizona Fall League, Kurtz hit .360 with six home runs, six doubles, 24 RBIs, 21 walks and an 1.156 OPS across 25 professional games in 2024.

Kurtz is currently ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the Athletics' farm system and the No. 36 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline.

The Aviators and Chihuahuas will continue their series Thursday at 8:35 p.m. ET, giving Kurtz a chance to continue his hot start.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for “UCLA on SI’’ and won awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for “New England Patriots on SI’’ and was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamConnon.

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