On the final day of the Athletics’ season on Sunday, Nick Kurtz finished the year in statistically rare company.
The A’s rookie first baseman homered in his final plate appearance of the season, during the eighth inning of a 9-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals, to finish the year with a 1.002 on-base plus slugging percentage in 489 PAs. Per Baseball-Reference.com’s Stathead tool, just 10 other rookies in baseball history have had a 1.000 OPS or higher with at least 300 PAs.
Members of this group include Ted Williams, Albert Pujols and Aaron Judge.
A’s manager Mark Kotsay praised Kurtz before Saturday’s game. “If he put a cape on, I bet you he could fly,” Kotsay said.
Kurtz had been flirting with achievement in the season’s final days. He made a valiant effort for the A’s in Saturday’s game against the Kansas City Royals, going 1-for-3 with a single plus a walk and scoring from second off a Shea Langeliers double in the eighth inning. It wasn’t enough, as the A’s fell 4-2 and dropped to 76-85 heading into their season finale Sunday. Kurtz’s OPS, meanwhile, dipped that evening to .999.
The game was punctuated by Kotsay’s late ejection, with the manager making the long walk to the clubhouse in the top of the ninth inning after protesting an umpire call.
Still, despite how Saturday’s game ended, there are things to be hopeful about both with Kurtz and this young team.
Kurtz, 22, entered professional baseball highly touted, with the A’s drafting him fourth overall in the 2024 MLB draft out of Wake Forest. He made short work of the minor leagues before earning his call-up to the A’s in late April.
In West Sacramento, Kurtz has soared to greater heights, hitting 22 of his 36 home runs at home. Asked before Saturday’s game what he liked about hitting in West Sacramento, Kurtz said the ball flies. He also noted how the park suited his tendency to hit to the opposite field.
“It’s not deep for the back side, where I like to go and especially when it gets hot, it really carries that way,” Kurtz said.
Several good, young A’s players
Kurtz’s performance this season has put him near the front of the pack offensively on an A’s team that boasts an assortment of young talent.
Rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson was an American League All-Star and has hung tough in the batting race into the season’s final months, with a .313 batting average entering Saturday.
Tyler Soderstrom, who is 23, in his third season in the majors and splits time between first base and outfield, has shown what made him a first-round draft pick in 2020. He had 25 homers, 93 RBIs and a 128 OPS+ entering Saturday.
“We have a really good offense, so I feel like we have the ability to impact the game offensively every night,” Soderstrom said. “And I think we have some bright years ahead of us.”
There is also young defensive talent on the team, showcased Saturday with center fielder Lawrence Butler robbing Mike Yastrzemski of an extra-base hit early in the game. In the ninth inning, Butler made a running catch off another deep shot by Yastrzemski.
Making do in the Sacramento area
As the A’s first season in West Sacramento comes to a close, chants of “Let’s Go Oakland” can still be heard at games, including at different points Saturday, referencing the team’s acrimonious departure from their home of 57 seasons. In some respects, though, the team and its players are getting acclimated to the Sacramento area.
Offensively, Sutter Health Park is one of the most freewheeling in baseball and is a significant reason the A’s entered the game with 218 home runs. Pitchers do what they can to deal with the situation.
Brady Basso, an A’s pitcher who had a 1.74 ERA in 10 games pitched entering Saturday, stressed that a good pitch will be one anywhere.
“If you execute a pitch in a ballpark like this or in the biggest ballpark in the world, it’s still gonna be a good pitch,” Basso said.
Tyler Ferguson, a reliever for the A’s, said before Saturday’s game that because the ballpark doesn’t have an upper deck to block winds, “the wind is constantly kind of blown out.”
Asked what he’s tried to do to get through pitching at Sutter Health Park, Ferguson replied, “Get ground balls.”
Ferguson’s used to this area, though. He has lived in Sacramento a few years, with his wife having come to Sacramento State to pursue graduate-level studies related to education and psychology. Ferguson said he and his wife live in McKinley Park, walking a couple of times a week to get breakfast at Orphan, a popular restaurant.