Nick Kurtz Is Clobbering His Way Through Triple-A and Nobody Can Stop Him
Athletics’ top prospect Nick Kurtz continues to play as advertised for the Las Vegas Aviators as he tears through Triple-A.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Wake Forest, Kurtz seamlessly translated his talents to affiliate ball, batting .368 with the Stockton Ports and Midland Rockhounds across 12 games last season.
Beginning his first full season of professional baseball, Kurtz has announced himself with aplomb. The 22-year-old is 14-for-34 (.412) with 12 runs batted in through eight games with the Las Vegas Aviators. He's tallied eight extra-base hits, including four doubles and four home runs, and continues to rack up valuable reps as an everyday first baseman.
Nick Kurtz is the hottest prospect in baseball 🔥
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) April 7, 2025
The @Athletics slugger headlines the return of the Hot Sheet this week after belting four homers.
(🎥 @MiLB)
pic.twitter.com/qDh2sCRP9C
Kurtz is in the top five of several offensive categories among the Pacific Coast League (PCL), including home runs (4, 1st), batting average (.412, 3rd), OPS (1.341, 3rd), runs batted in (12, T-3rd), and hits (14, T-4th).
While the numbers speak for themselves, the former Wake Forest Deacon has also shown his effectiveness against left-handed pitching. Kurtz naturally hits at a higher clip against righties, coming in at .478, but even against southpaws, he swings at a .273 average (3-for-11) in a small sample.
Among the MiLB Top 100 prospect rankings, Kurtz comes in at No. 36. When looking at first basemen alone, he ranks third behind Jac Caglianone (Kansas City Royals) and Bryce Eldrigde (San Francisco Giants).
Now while Kurtz continues to rake in Triple-A, a call-up to the majors may take some time. With the stellar start from Tyler Soderstrom batting .381 with 6 home runs (tied for the Major League lead with Aaron Judge), there just is not space for Kurtz at the moment.
Not to mention Seth Brown’s ability to slot in at first base or designated hitter–-which poses another name ahead of Kurtz in the line to Sacramento.
However, on a larger scale, whether Kurtz gets his call-up sooner or later, the Athletics continue to exhibit their ability to draft top talents. The recent successes of Jacob Wilson and the early-season opportunities for Max Muncy are a telling sign that the A’s are going all-in to develop their youngest talents for the future.
It is only a matter of time until Kurtz gets his opportunity to display his talents on a major league diamond, but until then keep an eye on the Athletics’ top prospect who continues to wreak havoc in Triple-A with the Aviators.
-4a432af4d03f6bc2c8d9c98dad7b2a83.jpg "Ian Napetian")
A Bay Area native, Ian Napetian is a graduating senior from Texas Christian University pursuing a double major in Journalism and Sports Broadcasting. He has covered the TCU Horned Frogs for the last three years. Ian is also a play-by-play broadcaster for TCU Baseball, Women's Basketball, and Hockey in addition to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the Atlantic League.