Nick Kurtz rise to the Major Leagues has been nothing short of meteoric. Just one year ago, he was a junior at Wake Forest, and now, after being drafted fourth overall by the Athletics in the 2024 MLB Draft, Kurtz has already made his MLB debut.
The 22-year-old first baseman, ranked as the A’s No. 1 prospect and No. 35 overall by MLB Pipeline, was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas just nine months after starting his professional career, with fewer than 32 Minor League games played. Still groggy from the phone call that informed him of his call-up, Kurtz said, “I was half-asleep, so I still thought it was a little bit of a dream.”
Kurtz’s dream became reality in Wednesday’s 5-2 victory over the Rangers. In his first Major League at-bat, Kurtz wasted no time making an impact, delivering an RBI single off Rangers starter Kumar Rocker in the first inning, marking his first hit at the big league level.
His teammate, Lawrence Butler, was full of praise, saying, “That’s a big league at-bat right there. 112 mph up the middle from a big guy. He’s going to be a great player.” Kurtz’s debut performance solidified the excitement surrounding his future in Oakland.
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