Kurtz, also known as “The Big Amish,” is the first Athletic to win Rookie of the Year since Andrew Bailey in 2009.

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Athletics first baseman and Lancaster County native Nick Kurtz was the unanimous winner of the American League Rookie of the Year on Monday night, according to Major League Baseball.

Kurtz won the award over teammate Jacob Wilson and Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony. He originally started the season in AAA Las Vegas but was called up to the big leagues on April 23. 

Kurtz, also known as “The Big Amish,” attended Manheim Township High School, Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN and went to college at Wake Forest before he started his MLB journey. He was selected 4th overall by the Athletics in the 2024 MLB Draft. 

Kurtz had an immediate impact in the Athletics lineup, putting together one of the best rookie seasons in franchise history. In 117 games, Kurtz put up a .290 batting average with 36 homeruns and 86 RBIs, leading the MLB in homeruns and RBIs among rookies. He also led all rookies in extra-base hits, runs, OPS and slugging percentage. 

He is the 14th unanimous AL Rookie of the Year selection and the second in franchise history, joining Mark McGwire in 1987. Kurtz is also the first Athletic to take home the award since Andrew Bailey in 2009. 

Kurtz is the ninth Athletics to take home the award in franchise history, second behind the New York Yankees in the AL who have 10. 

The slugger’s biggest game came on July 25 against the Houston Astros, when he went six for six, with four home runs and eight RBIs. He also matched the MLB record with 19 total bases in a game.

The Big Amish had a big rookie year representing Lancaster County and brought his community to a national stage.

“You don’t hear about a lot of people from Lancaster,” Kurtz said in an interview with FOX43 back in August. “Not many people even know where it is, so it’s kind of cool to be from a small town and give everyone there someone to root for, and I hope I’m representing Lancaster well.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.