Kurtz continues to dominate Minors with first Triple-A homer

One night after former Athletics first-round pick Max Muncy clubbed his first big league home run, another top pick had a first of his own at Triple-A.

Nick Kurtz, who just joined the organization last July as the fourth overall pick out of Wake Forest, clubbed his first Triple-A homer Saturday night. The milestone helped lift the Aviators to a 10-3 victory over the Reno Aces at Las Vegas Ballpark.

The roundtripper was Kurtz¡¯s third hit of the night as he continues to prove that he can take on Minor League pitching, no matter the level. An advantage of the left-handed hitter ascending to the Minors' highest level (beyond hitting in the favorable Vegas environs) is access to Statcast data. And what seemed true, has proven to be; Kurtz hammers the ball. His sixth inning tater came off the bat at 108.8 mph. His RBI double in the fifth? 103.8. Even the lone time he was retired (a flyout in the eighth), he tagged the ball in excess of 100 mph.

The 6-foot-5 first baseman made his pro debut with Single-A Stockton last summer, where he hit .400 with four home runs in seven games. He continued to rake at Double-A before a hamstring injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

Once fully recovered, MLB¡¯s No. 38 prospect suited up for the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League to make up for lost time. He did just that, batting .353 with seven extra-base hits and 11 RBIs in 13 games. Kurtz parlayed his performance into an invitation to big league camp, where he impressed at the plate and at first base. He posted a .974 OPS in 14 Cactus League games.

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Although Kurtz is now just 14 games into his Minor League career, he could soon find himself in the green and gold. A strong all-around bat, Kurtz fits in nicely with fellow top prospects Muncy and Jacob Wilson (A's No. 1 prospect), the latter of whom made a similar leap up to The Show after a quick tear through the Minors last season.