Nick Kurtz
| Nick Kurtz | |
|---|---|
| Athletics – No. 16 | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: March 12, 2003 Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 23, 2025, for the Athletics | |
| MLB statistics (through July 25, 2025) | |
| Batting average | .305 |
| Home runs | 23 |
| Runs batted in | 59 |
| Hits | 73 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Nicholas Jeffrey Kurtz (born March 12, 2003) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and was selected by the Athletics in the first round of the 2024 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2025.
Amateur career
Kurtz played for the USA 12U National Team and won a gold medal at the 2015 World Cup.[1] He attended Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee.[2] He committed to Wake Forest University to play college baseball.
As a freshman at Wake Forest in 2022, Kurtz was named a freshman All-American after hitting .338/.471/.637 with 15 home runs and 56 runs batted in (RBI) over 204 at-bats in 54 games. As a sophomore in 2023, he hit .353/.527/.784 with 24 home runs and 69 RBI over 190 at-bats in 56 games [3][4] and was named a first team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association.[5] As a junior in 2024, Kurtz was named team captain [5] and slashed .306/.531/.763 with 22 home runs and 57 RBI. [6] Kurtz left Wake Forest as the program's all-time leader in walks (189). [5]
Professional career
Kurtz was a top prospect entering the 2024 Major League Baseball draft;[7][8] the Oakland Athletics selected him in the first round, with the fourth overall selection.[9] On July 22, 2024, Kurtz signed with Oakland on a contract worth $7 million.[10][11] He split his first professional season between the Single-A Stockton Ports and Double-A Midland RockHounds. Kurtz was assigned to the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators to begin the 2025 season.
On April 21, 2025, Kurtz was promoted to the major leagues for the first time, after just 32 total games in the minor leagues.[12] He made his MLB debut two days later against the Texas Rangers, where he went 1-for-4 with an RBI single.[13] On May 13, Kurtz hit his first career home run off of J. P. Feyereisen of the Los Angeles Dodgers.[14] On June 16, Kurtz hit a two-run walk-off home run off Bryan Abreu of the Houston Astros to give the A's a 3–1 victory. It was the first walk-off home run of Kurtz’s Major League career, and it was a Statcast-projected 447-foot moonshot, marking the longest walk-off homer by an A’s player since Statcast began tracking in 2015.[15] Teammates gave him the nickname "Big Amish", a jocular reference to his hometown, which is home to a large Amish community. Kurtz himself is not Amish.[16]
On July 25, 2025, Kurtz became the first rookie in MLB history and the first Athletics player to hit four home runs in a game, overall getting six hits in his six at-bats for the contest. The other two hits were a double and a single, thus tying Shawn Green's 23-year-old MLB record for total bases in a game with 19. The home runs came off of four different Houston Astros pitchers, including position player Cooper Hummel, in a 15–3 Athletics victory. [17][18]
References
- ^ "Nick Kurtz pitches USA 12U National Team to World Cup championship". LNP. August 4, 2015.
- ^ "Prep roundup: Nick Kurtz, Baylor enjoy special senior night in shutout of McCallie". Chattanooga Times Free Press. April 26, 2021.
- ^ "Wake Forest duo from Baylor among former Chattanooga-area stars in College World Series". Chattanooga Time Free Press. June 15, 2023.
- ^ "Former Manheim Township Blue Streak Nick Kurtz, now at Wake Forest, is an elite MLB prospect". LNP. July 22, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Nick Kurtz - Baseball". Wake Forest University Athletics. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
- ^ "Nick Kurtz College, Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
- ^ Callis, Jim (October 26, 2023). "Top 20 college prospects for 2024 MLB Draft". MLB.com. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
- ^ "2024 MLB Mock Draft: "Way Too Early" Top 10 Picks". Baseball America. July 12, 2023.
- ^ Gallegos, Martín (July 14, 2024). "A's select Wake Forest slugger Nick Kurtz with No. 4 pick". MLB.com.
- ^ "A's Agree to Terms with First-Round Draft Pick Nick Kurtz". MLB.com. July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
- ^ Gallegos, Martín (July 22, 2024). "First-rounder Kurtz signs, meets role model for quick ascent". MLB.com. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
- ^ Martín Gallegos (April 21, 2025). "Kurtz, 2024 No. 4 overall pick & A's top prospect, getting called up (source)". MLB.com. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
- ^ Franco, Anthony (April 24, 2024). "'You saw the joy, right?': Kurtz leaves a mark in MLB debut". MLB.com. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
- ^ Gurvis, Jacob (May 14, 2024). "Wilson at home in Dodger Stadium -- and proves it with multi-homer game". MLB.com. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
- ^ Gallegos, Martín (June 17, 2025). "Kurtz focuses only on walk-off homer -- then does it vs. Astros". MLB.com. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ "'Big Amish' Kurtz churns new feat adding to A's lore". MLB.com. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
- ^ "Athletics rookie Nick Kurtz crushes four home runs vs. Astros as part of historic day at the plate". CBSSports.com. July 26, 2025. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
- ^ "Athletics' Nick Kurtz goes wild: 4 HRs, 6 hits, 19 total bases". ESPN.com. July 25, 2025. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
External links
- Career statistics from MLB · ESPN · Baseball Reference · Fangraphs · Baseball Reference (Minors)