The Athletics are promoting first baseman Nick Kurtz to the majors, according to MLB.com. The A’s themselves have not announced the move, nor have they announced a corresponding move to clear a roster spot.
Kurtz, 22, opened the season in Triple-A, where he hit .321/.385/.655 with seven home runs in 20 games. He was among the Triple-A leaders in exit velocity, though he did struggle with both making consistent contact and performing as well against left-handed pitchers.
The A’s will add Kurtz to a lineup that includes three other promising hitters younger than 25: shortstop Jacob Wilson, outfielder Lawrence Butler, and fellow first baseman Tyler Soderstrom, one of the top home-run hitters in the majors this year.
Kurtz was the No. 4 pick in last summer’s draft by way of Wake Forest. CBS Sports ranked him as the No. 4 prospect in the class at the time, writing the following of his game:
Kurtz recovered from an early slump and shoulder injury in a big way, delivering 14 home runs over a 10-game period to usher in April. By season’s end, he found himself leading the NCAA in walks, both in rate and counting forms, taking a free pass in 30% of his trips to the plate. (For reference, Barry Bonds had a 32% walk rate in 2002.) There’s no denying Kurtz’s well-above-average power or his discipline, and to his credit he makes a solid rate of contact when he offers. There are, nonetheless, a few factors working against him. Some evaluators have questioned if his extreme selectiveness is a detriment that causes him to pass up hittable pitches; we’re inclined to think it’s easier to teach a hitter to ratchet up their aggressiveness than vice versa. The bigger issue, in our opinion, is that he’s a collegiate first baseman. You have to go back to C.J. Cron in 2011 to find a first-round one of those who has since had a decent career. We’re putting him here despite our bearish feelings on the profile because we suspect a team — perhaps even the Athletics, who pick No.4 — will overlook disappointments like Spencer Torkelson, Andrew Vaughn, and Pavin Smith to take the plunge.
Kurtz’s arrival was tipped by the Athletics’ sudden willingness to use Brent Rooker in the outfield. Rooker had previously not appeared in the outfield in nearly a year after suffering a forearm injury.
