WEST SACRAMENTO -- Nick Kurtz is mastering the art of the bat flip.
For the second time in four nights, Kurtz came up in the late innings with a chance to win the game for the Athletics on Thursday. Just like he did a few days prior, Kurtz called game and flipped his bat once again, this one a bit more subtle as he tossed it in front of home plate and raised both arms in the air after demolishing a sinker up in the zone from Astros closer Josh Hader in the 10th inning for a two-run walk-off blast to secure a 6-4 victory for the A’s.
It was a swing that quite literally lifted him beyond “prospect” status. Now at 131 at-bats in the Majors, Kurtz has officially graduated from his ranking as the A’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 14 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline, doing so in about as dramatic a way as possible.
Like most of his home runs, Kurtz’s game-winner on Thursday was a fly ball that seemed to just keep carrying farther and farther until clearing the center-field wall at Sutter Health Park a Statcast-projected 416 feet.
"I wish I could hit the ball that hard,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “When he barrels the baseball, it comes off with some serious exit velo. He’s a big guy, but he uses leverage. It’s fun to watch how far they go.”
The walk-off was Kurtz’s ninth homer of the year, tying him with fellow teammate and rookie sensation Jacob Wilson -- who also homered Thursday -- for second most among Major League rookies, trailing only Miami's Agustín Ramírez. It was also the 22-year-old first baseman’s fourth big fly in his past five games.
Something about the late innings brings the best out of Kurtz. His last four homers have come in the ninth inning or later, three of which have either won the game for the A’s or given them the lead.
"For some reason, seventh inning on, I feel more comfortable in the box,” Kurtz said. “Maybe it’s just, after seeing a bunch of pitches that day, I start to feel really good. That’s just kind of the way it’s going right now, so I’m just trying to keep it going.”
Kurtz has made some impressive history with his late-inning magic. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, at 22 years and 99 days, he is the youngest player in MLB history with two walk-off homers in a single series.
In at least the last 50 seasons, Kurtz is only the second player with two walk-off home runs in a calendar month at age 22 or younger, joining Hall of Famer Eddie Murray, who did so in August 1978.
Kotsay came up with a couple of other Hall of Famers when asked to compare Kurtz to other hitters he’s seen with this combination of power and clutch factor.
"Frank Thomas, Jim Thome,” Kotsay said. “It’s tough to throw those names out. Nick’s just starting out his career. But it’s the advanced approach that Nick has and his ability to barrel the baseball and get it in the air.”
No longer a prospect, Kurtz may soon find himself quickly evolving into Major League stardom. That’s what the A’s expect. That’s why they felt comfortable calling him up to the big leagues only nine months after selecting him with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
"When we got him, I knew there was something special about him,” Kotsay said. “I couldn’t put my finger on it. … But the word I use to describe him is ‘alpha.’ He’s an alpha, and I love that about him. That’s a special quality. It’s one we saw in a kid named Matt Chapman that came through here. I think Nick Kurtz has that.”
After Wilson established himself as the top-performing rookie in baseball over the first few months of the season with an ongoing run that now has him tied with Yankees slugger Aaron Judge for most hits in the Majors (101), Kurtz might be the A’s next rookie up for a similar tear.
Of course, this is nothing new for those who played with him at Triple-A Las Vegas, where he led all of baseball in homers at the time of his callup.
"When I was in Triple-A with him, I was like, ‘This is the best hitter I’ve ever played with,’” said A’s catcher Willie MacIver, who crushed his first Major League homer on Thursday. “This guy is legit. He’s really smart when it comes to hitting. At the same time, he can shut his brain off. In those big situations, you can’t be overthinking. I just love watching him hit.”