The A’s will not move to Las Vegas until 2028. When they take the field that season, their Rookie of the Year could already be an MLB All-Star. First baseman Nick Kurtz, a former Las Vegas Aviator, was named the 2025 American League Rookie of the Year on Monday after a breakout season.
Kurtz’s power turned heads across baseball. The 24-year-old slugger hit 36 home runs, drove in 86 runs and posted an OPS over 1.000. He became the ninth Athletic to win the award and the first since Andrew Bailey in 2009. After a slow April, his swing became one of the most dangerous in the league. Kurtz began 2025 with the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators, where his early-season surge earned a quick promotion to Oakland. His biggest moment came on July 25, when he hit four home runs against Houston, tying a rookie record for 19 total bases in one game.
Shortstop Jacob Wilson, another former Aviator, finished right behind him. Wilson hit .311 with 41 extra-base hits and played smooth defense all year. He joined the Aviators in May 2024 before debuting with the A’s that July. Together, Kurtz and Wilson became the first rookie teammates to finish first and second in Rookie of the Year voting since the Cubs’ Jerome Walton and Dwight Smith in 1989.
In the National League, Atlanta catcher Drake Baldwin won the award after hitting .274 with 19 home runs.
The A’s future core is already forming while their $2 billion Strip ballpark continues to rise. Clark County commissioners approved the development agreement in October, and construction is underway for a 2028 opening. Fans can watch the progress live at ballparkexperience.athletics.com/ballparkcam.