The Athletics have called up their top prospect and 2024 first round draft pick, first baseman Nick Kurtz.
The news was reported by the MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos on April 21 via his X account.
Kurtz is a left-handed hitter and is ranked 35th on MLB Pipeline.com’s top 100 rankings. To say Kurtz was fast-tracked would be an understatement, considering he only played 32 games in the minor leagues. Kurtz, 22, spent three years at Wake Forest University in the ultra-competitive Atlantic Coast Conference before being selected fourth overall by the Athletics in the 2024 MLB Draft.
At the ACC tournament last May in Charlotte, N.C., Kurtz not only showed off elite power, plate discipline and high contact skills, but also played excellent defense. In the Demon Deacons’ 9-5, 12-inning win against North Carolina in Charlotte, he hit the game-tying double in the ninth and then hit a two-run shot to the opposite field in the top of the 12th to send Wake Forest to the semifinals.
At 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, Kurtz has an intimidating presence in the batters box. He hit 61 home runs and had an OPS of 1.235 in 567 at-bats from 2022-24 at Wake Forest. Kurtz declared for the draft after his junior season. The A’s took Kurtz with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft in Fort Worth, Texas.
In 2024, Kurtz also got his feet wet in the A’s organization, appearing in 12 minor league games split with their Low-A affiliate, the Stockton Ports of the California League, and their Double-A affiliate, the Midland RockHounds of the Texas League. He had four home runs, 13 RBIs and an OPS of 1.283 in 38 at-bats.
This season, Kurtz was assigned to their Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators, where hit seven home run, with 24 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.040 in 84 at-bats before being called up to the A’s.
His MLB debut will take place at home on April 22 against the Texas Rangers at Sutter Health Ballpark in Sacramento.
Photo: Oakland Athletics first-round draft pick Nick Kurtz poses for photos before a baseball game between the Athletics and the Houston Astros in Oakland, Calif., Monday, July 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
