Hello! Welcome to another edition of the A’s beat newsletter. WEST SACRAMENTO -- When Nick Kurtz was called up on April 23 for his Major League debut, he led all of baseball -- Minors and Majors -- with seven home runs. That we are almost two weeks into the Nick Kurtz Era and the Athletics’ No. 1 prospect (MLB Pipeline’s No. 33 overall prospect) remains homerless does feel a bit strange. Despite the power outage, A’s manager Mark Kotsay has been pleased with what he’s seen from Kurtz’s small sample size in the big leagues. “Nick’s getting his feet on the ground,” Kotsay said before Monday’s series opener against the Mariners. “It’s always difficult to make that jump. Nick’s had less than 500 Minor League plate appearances. But that confidence he has, I don’t see that wavering. I see a kid that belongs here and can impact our club.” |
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Homers aside, Kurtz has contributed in other ways for the A’s, who entered Monday 9-3 since Kurtz debuted. Through 11 games played over that stretch, Kurtz was hitting .278 (10-for-36) and reached safely in 10 of those contests. In Sunday’s 3-2 victory over the Marlins, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound first baseman even showed off some sneaky speed by slicing a liner down the left-field line and racing from home plate to third base in 12.05 seconds for a ninth-inning triple that set up the go-ahead run. Neither Kurtz nor the A’s doubt that the power will come. It’s one of the many standout tools that made him such a highly-regarded prospect. And even though Sunday’s triple was his first extra-base hit, Kurtz has been demonstrating top-tier bat speed throughout his time in the Majors. Entering Monday, Kurtz’s average bat speed was 77.5 mph; in 2024, the average Major League bat speed was 72 mph. |
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Though he does not have enough at-bats to qualify for the leaderboards, Kurtz’s mark would put him at fourth among the current Major League leaders, behind only Oneil Cruz, Junior Caminero and Jordan Walker and ahead of superstars such as Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge. This likely means that, once Kurtz inevitably starts squaring up more pitches, the ball should start to fly with more regularity. “It’s going to take time for him to get comfortable and to produce the way that he’s produced in a limited time in the Minor Leagues,” Kotsay said. “Everyone wants to say he’s a slug guy. But this kid can hit. You saw that [on Sunday] with the ball he hit down the left-field line. I think he’s right where he needs to be right now.” |
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Which of these players was NOT a member of Connie Mack's famous "$100,000" infield during the 1910s? A. Jack Barry B. Eddie Collins C. Frank Baker D. Jimmie Foxx |
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Zack Gelof, who began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas on April 29 in his recovery from a hook of the hamate fracture in his right hand, was pulled from that assignment due to a stress reaction in his ribs that occurred while taking a swing in a game for the Aviators over the weekend. Originally targeting early May for Gelof’s return, the A’s are unsure how much further out the second baseman might be after his latest setback. “He’s shut down right now from swinging,” Kotsay said on Monday. “There’s no immediate timeline for when he’s going to return to swinging.” Gelof was hitting .289 (11-for-38) through 23 Cactus League games before sustaining the hamate injury during the final week of Spring Training. Luis Urías has emerged as a solid replacement in Gelof’s absence, entering Monday batting .246 with five home runs and a .834 OPS in 23 games this season. |
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ROOKER BOBBLEHEAD GIVEAWAY |
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For the upcoming June 8 game against the Orioles at Sutter Health Park, every fan in attendance will receive a Brent Rooker Home Run Counter Bobblehead. Presented by Red Hawk Resort & Casino, the bobblehead features Rooker swinging a bat in a gold A’s jersey and three turnstiles with numbers to update Rooker’s career home run total after every homer he hits. Random lucky fans will receive a special silver edition of the bobblehead, commemorating Rooker’s 2024 Silver Slugger award. |
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