HOUSTON, TEXAS – JULY 25: Nick Kurtz #16 of the Athletics reacts after hitting his fourth home run of the game in the ninth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on July 25, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
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Sometimes, awards voting can be a photo finish. Other times, they can start engraving early, which is the case with Nick Kurtz and the American League Rookie of the Year Award.
Kurtz, the slugging first baseman for the Athletics, is hitting .308/.402/.632 with 27 home runs in 94 games since getting called up in late April. He leads all MLB rookies in homers, runs (70), RBI (70), on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and WAR (4.7, Baseball-Reference version).
If he had enough plate appearances to qualify, he would rank second in MLB with a 1.033 OPS and 180 OPS+, trailing only Aaron Judge in both categories. He knocked four of his home runs in one game against the Houston Astros on July 25, going 6-6 with four homers, a double, and a single.
Kurtz hasn’t been tamed by pitching at any level of professional or collegiate baseball. He registered an OPS of at least 1.108 in each of his three years at Wake Forest, leading to the A’s selecting him fourth overall in the 2024 draft. He only needed 33 total games in the minors, posting a 1.152 OPS across all levels, before getting the call to the big leagues on April 23.
It’s going to be difficult for anyone to catch him in the Rookie of the Year race, but there are a handful of worthy challengers. One of them is his teammate, shortstop Jacob Wilson. He made the All-Star Team earlier this year and is second in the American League with a .313 batting average. His 7.4% strikeout rate is the lowest of any qualified hitter in the league.
The Boston Red Sox have a pair of impressive rookies too. Roman Anthony and Carlos Narváez are second and third among rookie position players with 3.0 and 2.7 WAR respectively.
Anthony, a corner outfielder, would be hot on Kurtz’s trail if he had played more games. Despite being a consensus top-two overall prospect in baseball entering the season, he didn’t debut until June 9—and he signed an eight-year, $130 million extension two months later. He’s batting .289/.397/.466 this season.
Narváez was much more of a surprise. The New York Yankees dealt him to their rivals in the offseason to clear a 40-man roster spot, despite their lack of depth at catcher. He has cooled off in the second half, but he’s hitting .244/.315/.415 for the season with 12 home runs and highly-rated defense at baseball’s most important position.
There are a few rookie pitchers of note in the AL too. Will Warren of the Yankees leads all rookies with 149 strikeouts in 136 innings. Noah Cameron of the Kansas City Royals has a 2.92 ERA over 108 innings, and Jack Leiter of the Texas Rangers has a 3.77 ERA in 121 2/3 innings.
Still, the trophy is Kurtz’s to lose. If he wins it, he will get a full year of service time despite not spending the full season on the A’s roster, just like Paul Skenes did when he won the National League Rookie of the Year last season. That will make him eligible for free agency after the 2030 season instead of having to go through a fourth year of arbitration, then becoming a free agent after the 2031 campaign.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danepstein/2025/09/02/nick-kurtz-is-cruising-to-the-rookie-of-the-year-award/
