Biography
Nicholas Jeffrey Kurtz (born March 12, 2003) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2025.
Career
Amateur career
Kurtz played for the USA 12U National Team and won a gold medal at the 2015 World Cup. He attended Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He committed to Wake Forest University to play college baseball.
As a freshman at Wake Forest in 2022, Kurtz was named a freshman All-American after hitting .338/.471/.637 with 15 home runs and 56 runs batted in (RBI) over 204 at-bats in 54 games. As a sophomore in 2023, he hit .353/.527/.784 with 24 home runs and 69 RBI over 190 at-bats in 56 games and was named a first team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association. As a junior in 2024, Kurtz was named team captain and slashed .306/.531/.763 with 22 home runs and 57 RBI. Kurtz left Wake Forest as the program's all-time leader in walks (189).
Professional career
Kurtz was a top prospect in the 2024 Major League Baseball draft. The Oakland Athletics selected him in the first round, with the fourth overall selection. On July 22, 2024, Kurtz signed with Oakland on a contract worth $7 million. He split his first professional season between the Single-A Stockton Ports and Double-A Midland RockHounds. Kurtz was assigned to the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators to begin the 2025 season.
On April 21, 2025, Kurtz was promoted to the major leagues for the first time, after just 32 total games in the minor leagues. He made his MLB debut two days later against the Texas Rangers, where he 1-for-4 with an RBI single.