Starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers has been voted the National League Rookie of the Month for June, and first baseman Nick Kurtz of the Athletics has been voted the American League Rookie of the Month for June. The announcements were made earlier today on MLB Network.
Misiorowski is the first Brewers rookie to win a monthly award since his teammate Joey Ortiz won last May and he is the eighth Brewer (ninth occurrence) to win the award, joining Ben Sheets (June 2001); Scott Podsednik (August 2003); Prince Fielder (April 2006); Ryan Braun (2x: June & July 2007); Casey McGehee (September 2009); Keston Hiura (July 2019); and Ortiz. Misiorowski is the second Brewers pitcher to win the award, joining Sheets, and is the first pitcher to win since Paul Skenes earned the honor in September last year to cap off his NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year season. Kurtz joined teammate Jacob Wilson, who won for May, as the second A’s player to be honored this season. Kurtz is the 12th A’s player to earn the honor, joining Carlos Peña (April 2002); Bobby Crosby (June 2004); Joe Blanton (2x: June & August 2005); Andrew Bailey (August 2009); Brett Anderson (September 2009); Jemile Weeks (June 2011); Yoenis Céspedes (September 2012); Nate Freiman (May 2013); Ryon Healy (September 2016); Zack Gelof (August 2023); and Wilson. It marks the seceond time in franchise history that the A’s have won the award in back-to-back months, joining August/September 2009, and it is the first time any club has won in consecutive months with different players since July/August 2022, when Spencer Strider and Michael Harris II were recognized with the Atlanta Braves. It is the first time in the AL since May/June 2018 when Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar won for the New York Yankees.
Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee Brewers (@jmisiorowski)
Across three starts, the 23-year-old posted a 3-0 record with a 1.13 ERA (2 ER/16.0 IP), allowing just three hits, seven walks, 19 strikeouts, a 0.63 WHIP, a .061 opponents’ batting average and 10.69 strikeouts per 9.0 innings.
Among pitchers with at least 15.0 innings in June, he led the Majors in opponents’ batting average and WHIP; had the fewest hits allowed; and ranked fourth in ERA.
In his Major League debut on June 12th against St. Louis, he dealt 5.0 no-hit innings, allowing four walks with five strikeouts in 5.0 innings of work. The right-hander became the ninth pitcher and sixth starter since 1900 to throw at least 5.0 hitless innings in a Major League debut. Additionally, he threw 14 pitches of at least 100 MPH, fourth-most by a starter during his Major League debut in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008).
The Brewers’ second-round selection in the 2022 Draft carried a perfect game into the seventh inning of his second career start on June 20th at Minnesota, allowing two runs on a hit with a walk and six strikeouts in 6.0 innings. According to Elias, his 11-inning hitless streak is the longest by a starting pitcher since 1900 to begin a career. He became the first pitcher since 1900 to have more wins (2) than hits allowed (1) after his first two career starts.
The Crowder College product closed his month with 5.0 shutout innings, fanning a career-high eight batters and permitting just two hits with two walks against Paul Skenes and the Pirates on June 25th. He became the first pitcher since 1900 to have as many wins (3) as hits allowed (3) after his first three career starts.
Nick Kurtz, Athletics (@nickkurtz_8)
The 22-year-old hit .264 (19-for-72) with seven homers, 17 RBI, three doubles, seven walks, 12 runs scored, a .597 slugging percentage and a .329 on-base percentage in 19 games.
The Lancaster, Pennsylvania native led qualified rookies in home runs, RBI and slugging; tied for the lead in extra-base hits (10); ranked second in OPS (.926); ranked third in total bases (43); tied for sixth in runs; and ranked 10th in batting average.
The fourth overall pick of the 2024 Draft hammered a pair of walk-off home runs, launching a two-run blast in the bottom of the ninth on June 16th against Houston and repeating with a two-run blast in the bottom of the ninth on June 19th against Houston. Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com, Kurtz is the first A’s player with multiple walk-off homers in a single series and the youngest player in Major League history to accomplish the feat. Additionally, he is the fifth player in Major League history under the age of 23 with two walk-off home runs in a calendar month, joining Hall of Famer Eddie Murray (August 1978); Tommy Davis (June 1961); Hall of Famer Frank Robinson (July 1958); and Hall of Famer Jake Beckley (June 1889).
The Wake Forest University product launched five home runs in a six-game span from June 15th-20th, becoming the third A’s player aged 22-or-younger with five home runs in a six-game span, joining Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson, who had a pair of overlapping stretches in April 1969, and Jimmie Foxx, who did so from July 20-25, 1929. With homers in three straight games from June 18th-20th, Kurtz became the first A’s player under the age of 23 to homer in three straight games since Jose Canseco from September 11-13, 1986.
Since being activated from the Injured List on June 9th, Kurtz’s seven homers are tied for seventh-most in the Majors. With his 10th homer of the year on June 25th at Detroit, he became the 12th A’s player under the age of 23 (17th occurrence) to hit at least 10 home runs in a season and the eighth with at least 10 before the All-Star Break, marking the most since Eric Chavez had 13 homers in the first half in 2000.
Others receiving votes for NL Rookie of the Month included Misiorowski’s teammates, outfielder Isaac Collins (.288, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 2 2B, 1 3B, 13 BB, 14 R, 1 SB, .508 SLG, .411 OBP) and third baseman Caleb Durbin (.296, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 2 2B, 6 BB, 18 R, 1 SB, .432 SLG, .363 OBP); outfielder Heriberto Hernandez (.358, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 4 2B, 3 BB, 9 R, .547 SLG, .386 OBP), catcher/designated hitter Agustín Ramírez (.255, 5 HR, 16 RBI, 4 2B, 1 3B, 5 BB, 15 R, .461 SLG) and relief pitcher Lake Bachar (2-0, 0.68 ERA, 6 G, 13.1 IP, 8 H, 0 HR, 5 BB, 12 SO) of the Miami Marlins; starting pitcher Mike Burrows (1-1, 2.73 ERA, 6 G, 5 GS, 26.1 IP, 26 H, 4 HR, 6 BB, 30 SO) of the Pittsburgh Pirates; relief pitcher Riley O’Brien (0.68 ERA, 10 G, 13.1 IP, 8 H, 1 HR, 5 BB, 11 SO) of the St. Louis Cardinals; and relief pitcher Justin Wrobleski (3-1, 2.73 ERA, 5 G, 1 GS, 26.1 IP, 22 H, 2 HR, 6 BB, 26 SO) of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Others receiving votes for AL Rookie of the Month included right fielder Cam Smith (.303, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 5 2B, 6 BB, 14 R, 2 SB, .494 SLG, .354 OBP) and starting pitcher Colton Gordon (3-0, 2.14 ERA, 4 GS, 21.0 IP, 24 H, 4 HR, 2 BB, 18 SO) of the Houston Astros; Kurtz’s teammates, AL All-Star starting shortstop Jacob Wilson (.323, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 4 2B, 6 BB, 11 R, 1 SB, .424 SLG, .364 OBP) and starting pitcher Jacob Lopez (2-1, 2.64 ERA, 6 G, 5 GS, 30.2 IP, 24 H, 4 HR, 9 BB, 29 SO); outfielder Jake Mangum (.303, 16 RBI, 4 2B, 1 3B, 4 BB, 10 R, 3 SB, .364 SLG, .337 OBP) of the Tampa Bay Rays; and relief pitcher Braydon Fisher (0.00 ERA, 13 G, 13.1 IP, 6 H, 0 HR, 3 BB, 19 SO) of the Toronto Blue Jays.