WEST SACRAMENTO -- One day before Sunday’s season finale, Athletics manager Mark Kotsay was asked about the prospect of Nick Kurtz potentially finishing with a 1.000 OPS as a rookie, a feat that has only been accomplished by a handful of superstars and Hall of Famers over the past 124 years.
"If you’re in that company, you’re pretty special,” Kotsay said. “For Nick, there’s nothing I don’t think he can’t do. If he put a cape on, I bet you he could fly right now.”
Just call him Superman.
When Kurtz stepped to the plate for the Athletics in the eighth inning of Sunday’s 9-2 loss to the Royals, everyone inside the A’s dugout -- Kotsay included -- knew Kurtz needed a home run to get his season OPS over 1.000.
On the second pitch he saw from left-hander Sam Long, Kurtz demolished a sinker left over the zone. In the final at-bat of what has been nothing short of a spectacular first season in the big leagues, Kurtz unleashed his majestic power one last time for his 36th homer of the year and etched his name in baseball history as just the eighth rookie to post an OPS over 1.000 (min. 400 plate appearances) since 1901.
The list:
Aaron Judge, 1.049 OPS in 2017
Ted Williams, 1.045 OPS in 1939
George Watkins, 1.037 OPS in 1930
Rudy York, 1.026 OPS in 1937
Albert Pujols, 1.013 OPS in 2001
Bernie Carbo, 1.004 OPS in 1970
Ryan Braun, 1.004 OPS in 2007
Nick Kurtz, 1.002 OPS in 2025
“There’s no better way to write it up, right?” Kotsay said. “It’s pretty unbelievable, really. I’ve said it a lot, it’s been a privilege to be able to watch him on a daily basis perform the way he has and finish off the year in a fitting way.”
It was indeed fitting for Kurtz, whose 423-foot two-run blast -- hammered at an exit velocity of 112.7 mph -- sailed over the wall in left field. No slugger in baseball has gone the opposite way more often this year than Kurtz, whose 18 opposite-field homers led all Major League hitters.
"I wasn’t necessarily going for a home run,” Kurtz said. “I was just trying to put the barrel on the ball. But it’s definitely a good way to end it.”
Though the American League Rookie of the Year Award will not be announced until November, Kurtz has all but locked up that honor. The 22-year-old first baseman finishes his debut season leading all qualified Major League rookies in home runs, extra-base hits (64), RBIs (86), slugging percentage (.619) and OPS.
In franchise history, Kurtz’s 36 homers are second-most by an A’s rookie over a single season, trailing Mark McGwire’s 49 in 1987, and second-most by an A’s player age 22 or younger, just one behind Jimmie Foxx, who hit 37 in 1930 for the Philadelphia Athletics.
"It’s pretty special to watch,” said designated hitter Brent Rooker, who became just the fifth A’s player since 2000 to appear in all 162 games in a season. “It’s kind of what I imagine it looks like when you’re watching generational-type hitters begin their career. The advanced approach. The advanced feel to hit, and the sheer raw, brute force that he also has in terms of strength and bat speed and things like that. I’m looking forward to hitting in front or behind him for the next several seasons.”
Kurtz will take a little time to bask in what goes down as one of the most impressive rookie seasons in MLB history. Ultimately, however, his takeaway from this year is more of a team-based view, which saw the A’s fall short of the goal they set in Spring Training to make the playoffs.
Their 76-86 record was a seven-win improvement from last season, and they did perform as one of the better clubs in baseball over the second half with a 34-24 record since July 24. But for Kurtz and the rest of this young group, the desire is to recharge this offseason and come back next year ready to compete for a playoff spot, something that has eluded the A’s since 2021.
“I’m not big on looking in the past of what I’ve done,” Kurtz said. “It’s about the future and moving forward. I might have had a good year, but the team didn’t go where I wanted it to go. That’s the most important thing. … End of the day, I want a ring. That’s the goal. That one ring means a lot more than anything else I can win.”