Nick Kurtz Homers as Four A's Top Draftees Make Their Debuts

Jason Burke | Aug 11, 2024

Jun 19, 2023; Omaha, NE, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons first baseman Nick Kurtz (8) celebrates after defeating the LSU Tigers at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland A's recently assigned four of their top draftees to A-Ball to play with the Stockton Ports, including number four overall pick Nick Kurtz out of Wake Forest, who had the loudest debut of the quartet.

After striking out in the bottom of the first inning, a feat that Kurtz only accomplished 42 times in 260 plate appearances this season in college, the big left-hander cranked his first professional home run over the wall in left on the first pitch in the bottom of the fourth.

Nick Kurtz has some thump. The A’s first round pick homers in his first MiLB game. pic.twitter.com/sWiL5KaHgp

— Jason Burke (@ByJasonB) August 11, 2024

The homer cut the deficit to 10-1, but the Ports would claw their way back a bit in the bottom of the sixth, putting up fours runs after a two-run fifth, making it 12-7. Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, a third rounder out of Rutgers, collected his first pro hit in the third with a single to left, and added another to the ledger with a single in the fifth.

In the four-run sixth, Kuroda-Grauer drew a walk to put runners at first and second, then second-rounder Tommy White drive one to the track in center that advanced the runners. Kurtz drew a walk, his second of the night, to load the bases for fourth rounder Rodney Green out of Cal. Green chopped one to first, but with his speed it looked like he would beat it out. The first baseman threw the ball away for good measure, plating two runs. Green was given credit for his first two professional RBI on the play.

They would go back to work in the bottom of the eighth, trailing 14-7. With one down, Kuroda-Grauer singled to center, and White followed that up with a single of his own to put runners at first and second for Kurtz. The former Wake Forest first baseman singled to left, and Kuroda-Grauer was able to score on a throwing error, which moved the runners to second and third for Green, who walked to load the bases.

Myles Naylor grounded into a force out, pushing a second run across in the inning, and after back-to-back walks to Clark Elliott and Nick Schwarz, the Ports had put up three, making it a four run game.

Unfortunately, the quartet wasn't able to put together another big offensive inning, and Stockton ended up losing 14-10 on Saturday night.

Kuroda-Grauer finished 3-for-5 with three singles, three runs scored and a walk. Tommy White went 2-for-5 with a run scored and a strikeout. Kurtz was 2-for-3 with a home run, a single, two RBI, two runs scored, two walks, and a strikeout. Green went 1-for-3 with two RBI, two walks, and a strikeout. Altogether, they finished their first game 8-for-16 with five walks and three strikeouts.

Not a bad series of debuts at all. You can see why Baseball America moved the Oakland A's up in their latest re-ranking of the top farm systems around the game.