A's prospect Kurtz a player to watch in 2025

The A's are still deep in a rebuild, and while veterans will be key in helping this team get to where they need to be, it never hurts to see what you have in the young guys.

Jun 17, 2023; Omaha, NE, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons first baseman Nick Kurtz (8) celebrates after retiring Stanford Cardinal third baseman Tommy Troy (not pictured) to end the game at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

2025 will mark a new era of Athletics baseball, as after nearly 60 years in Oakland, the team will play their home games at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, sharing the field with the minor-league River Cats. The future is getting closer for the A’s franchise, with the young prospects currently in the farm system looking to bring a new flair to the franchise in the coming years, and help a once dominant organization return to prominence. 

The last few drafts have seen the A’s scoop up strong talent, as guys like Jacob Wilson and Daniel Susac have made names for themselves in the farm system, with Wilson making his MLB debut this season. In 2024, the A’s biggest selection was first baseman Nick Kurtz out of Wake Forest with the fourth overall selection, who after just a handful of games in the minor leagues, is now the A’s number two prospect.

Starting his pro career in Single-A with the Stockton Ports, Kurtz hit .400 with four home runs and 12 RBI in 25 at-bats, also having a .960 slugging and a 1.531 OPS before his promotion to Double-A Midland. During his Double-A stint, he hit .308 with an RBI in 13 at-bats, finishing the 2024 campaign hitting .368 overall before a hamstring injury knocked him out for the remainder of the season. The former Wake Forest product is currently getting some extra swings as a member of the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League.

Signing a $7 million dollar contract after he was drafted, Kurtz will be looked at to be the long-term solution at first base and the possible face of the franchise as they determine where their long-term home will be, whether that is Las Vegas or elsewhere.

At Wake Forest, Kurtz hit .338 with 15 home runs and 56 RBI in 204 at-bats through 54 games as a freshman, earning All-American honors in 2022. The following year, he hit .353 with 24 home runs and 69 RBI, guiding the Demon Deacons to a berth in the College World Series semifinals where they fell to the eventual champions, LSU. Overall for his career, Kurtz left Wake Forest with a .333 average, 61 home runs and 182 RBI, and it was his advanced approach at the plate that made him the top player on the board for the A's heading into this year's Draft. 

Next season, Kurtz will presumably start things off in Double-A, but if he picks up right where he left off, he won’t be down for long. In fact, with what the A’s have done with their most recent prospects, it would not be a surprise to see Kurtz in the big leagues at some point in 2025, like we saw with 2023's first rounder, Jacob Wilson.