This story was excerpted from Mart¨ªn Gallegos¡¯ A¡¯s Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
WEST SACRAMENTO -- The legend of Nick Kurtz is growing by the day.
After bashing another home run for Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday against El Paso, Kurtz leads all of professional baseball -- MLB included -- with seven homers through 14 games.
Kurtz -- ranked as the Athletics¡¯ No. 1 prospect and No. 35 overall in baseball by MLB Pipeline -- was already considered on the fast track to the Majors when the A¡¯s selected him fourth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft and promoted him to Double-A Midland after just seven games with Single-A Stockton thanks to his advanced approach at the plate.
Given his video game-like rampage through the Minors -- Kurtz, who turned 22 last month, is batting .367 with a 1.253 OPS, 11 homers, nine doubles and 35 RBIs through 26 career Minor League games -- that track may now be on full hyperspeed mode.
¡°He¡¯s done as much, or more, than what¡¯s needed,¡± A¡¯s manager Mark Kotsay said on Sunday. ¡°Now it¡¯s just, from our standpoint, you never can time a move. You just have to make the move.¡±
It can be difficult for teams to properly evaluate top-performing prospects in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. The numbers become even more skewed at times for A¡¯s Minor League hitters at Las Vegas Ballpark, where the ball often tends to fly to the extreme through the warm Nevada desert air.
For the A¡¯s, when it comes to evaluating Kurtz and other top prospects at Triple-A such as Colby Thomas (A¡¯s No. 2) and Denzel Clarke (No. 5), there is a specific formula they follow to weed through the inflated offensive numbers to allow for a more accurate assessment.
¡°You look at a number of factors now that the data can support the visual,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°He¡¯s hitting the ball extremely hard. The exit velos are really high. The competition aspect as well. You look at the velos that he¡¯s facing and some of the prospects he¡¯s going up against. You assess both, from [the] pure statistical data to the analytical data that can go along with helping support evidence that it would play here [in the Majors].¡±
In the case of Kurtz, there are some signs of struggles with swing-and-miss in the strike zone. But overall, the early results suggest his impressive numbers should translate well to the Majors.
¡°We saw in Spring Training how advanced he is for his age,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°His approach and ability to make adjustments. So, yeah, it¡¯s definitely noticeable.¡±
With Kurtz¡¯s Major League arrival seemingly on the horizon, the question quickly shifts to where will he actually play on the field?
An underrated aspect of Kurtz¡¯s game is his defense. He impressed the A¡¯s this spring with his athleticism and movement around the bag at first base, and he continues to play the position on a regular basis with Las Vegas. In the big leagues, however, Tyler Soderstrom has locked down first base as he shows early signs of a breakout campaign and entered Monday tied for the MLB lead in homers with six.
Kurtz has some experience playing the outfield. The designated hitter spot has also freed up some for the A¡¯s this year with Brent Rooker getting some time in the outfield. Heck, there might even be a scenario where Soderstrom gets some reps at third base.
All these possibilities are being discussed by the A¡¯s front office. Ultimately, the excitement stems from the potential to add an impact bat with the caliber of Kurtz, whenever and wherever that may be, this season.
¡°The beauty of the process will be that we¡¯re adding a bat that can have an impact in the lineup,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°How we do that is continually being discussed. But there¡¯s opportunity for a rotation to happen between an outfield position, a DH position, a first base position. Possibly look at third base as using something that we can do. There¡¯s a ton of options.
¡°That¡¯s the versatility that we talked about and tried to create on the roster. Have some versatility with a player that can play different positions. All those factors will be looked at when and if that move takes place.¡±