Nick Kurtz Unanimously Wins AL Rookie of the Year
Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz added another trophy to his quickly growing case Monday night: AL Rookie of the Year. Of surprise to few, if anyone, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) announced Kurtz as the unanimous 2025 winner. He is the second player from the Athletics to win the award unanimously, joining Mark McGwire (1987). This comes days after Kurtz became the only rookie to be among the 2025 Silver Slugger Award winners.
Kurtz is the ninth Rookie of the Year in Athletics franchise history. This is second in the American League to the 10 from the New York Yankees. The previous eight are McGwire, Harry Byrd (1952), Jose Canseco (1986), Walt Weiss (1988), Ben Grieve (1998), Bobby Crosby (2004), Huston Street (2005) and Andrew Bailey (2009). Additionally, Kurtz is the eighth AL first baseman to win the award. The others are McGwire, Walt Dropo (1950), Chris Chambliss (1971), Mike Hargrove (1974), Eddie Murray (1977), Alvin Davis (1984), and Jose Abreu (2014).
The 2025 Season of Nick Kurtz
Kurtz slashed .290/.383/.619 (122-for-420) across 117 games in 2025. He had 26 doubles, two triples, 36 homers, and 86 RBI. Notably, he had a 1.002 OPS — one of three hitters in the majors with at least 400 plate appearances to break the 1.000 OPS barrier. The others are familiar even to non-baseball fans: Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.
The capstone of Kurtz’s season came July 25 in Houston. That night, Kurtz went 6-for-6 with four homers and a double. Additionally, he had 19 total bases, eight RBI, and a record-tying six runs scored. His 19 total bases tied the single-game record set by Shawn Green in 2002. In addition to being the first rookie to score six times in a game, Kurtz was the first Athletics player and first rookie to have a four-homer game. Since no one has ever hit five in a game, Kurtz tied that record as well.
Kurtz, Wilson Finish 1-2
His teammate, shortstop Jacob Wilson, finished second in the voting. This marked the fifth time in the AL that teammates were the winner and runner-up. The others were Ron Hansen and Chuck Estrada (Orioles, 1960), Gary Peters and Pete Ward (White Sox, 1963), Fred Lynn and Jim Rice (Red Sox, 1975), and Alvin Davis and Mark Langston (Mariners, 1984). It has happened far more recently in the NL, where it has occurred four times. The four pairs are Jack Sanford and Ed Bouchee (Phillies, 1957), Jerome Walton and Dwight Smith (Cubs, 1989), Craig Kimbrel and Freddie Freeman (Braves, 2011), and Michael Harris II and Spencer Strider (Braves, 2022).
Other Unanimous Winners
Kurtz is the 14th AL player to win Rookie of the Year unanimously. He joins McGwire, Abreu, Carlton Fisk (1972), Sandy Alomar Jr (1990), Tim Salmon (1993), Derek Jeter (1996), Nomar Garciaparra (1997), Evan Longoria (2008), Mike Trout (2012), Aaron Judge (2017), Kyle Lewis (2020), and Gunnar Henderson (2024).
The Rookie of the Year award began in 1947 as a single award for all players in the NL and AL. It split into two awards, one for the NL and one for the AL, in 1949. Two BBWAA members from each American League city submitted ballots prior to postseason play. For the first time ever, they submitted five names. From 1980 to 2024, they submitted three. The new scoring system awards seven points for first place, four for second, three for third, two for fourth, and one for fifth.
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