Nick Kurtz

Nick Kurtz
Athletics – No. 16
First baseman
Born: (2003-03-12) March 12, 2003
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
MLB debut
April 23, 2025, for the Athletics
MLB statistics
(through July 10, 2025)
Batting average.246
Home runs14
Runs batted in40
Stats at Baseball Reference 
Teams

Nicholas Jeffrey Kurtz (born March 12, 2003) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). 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 in 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] 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.[11] He made his MLB debut two days later against the Texas Rangers, where he 1-for-4 with an RBI single.[12] On May 13, Kurtz hit his first career home run off of J. P. Feyereisen of the Los Angeles Dodgers.[13] 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.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Nick Kurtz pitches USA 12U National Team to World Cup championship". LNP. August 4, 2015.
  2. ^ "Prep roundup: Nick Kurtz, Baylor enjoy special senior night in shutout of McCallie". Chattanooga Times Free Press. April 26, 2021.
  3. ^ "Wake Forest duo from Baylor among former Chattanooga-area stars in College World Series". Chattanooga Time Free Press. June 15, 2023.
  4. ^ "Former Manheim Township Blue Streak Nick Kurtz, now at Wake Forest, is an elite MLB prospect". LNP. July 22, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Nick Kurtz - Baseball". Wake Forest University Athletics. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  6. ^ "Nick Kurtz College, Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  7. ^ "Top 20 college prospects for '24 Draft". MLB.com.
  8. ^ "2024 MLB Mock Draft: "Way Too Early" Top 10 Picks". Baseball America. July 12, 2023.
  9. ^ Gallegos, Martín (July 14, 2024). "A's select Wake Forest slugger Nick Kurtz with No. 4 pick". MLB.com.
  10. ^ Franco, Anthony (July 22, 2024). "A's Sign First-Round Pick Nick Kurtz". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Franco, Anthony (April 24, 2024). "'You saw the joy, right?': Kurtz leaves a mark in MLB debut". MLB.com. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  13. ^ Gurvis, Jacob (May 14, 2024). "Wilson at home in Dodger Stadium -- and proves it with multi-homer game". MLB.com. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  14. ^ Gallegos, Martín (June 17, 2025). "Kurtz focuses only on walk-off homer -- then does it vs. Astros". MLB.com. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
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