Nick Kurtz Wins 2025 Al Rookie Of The Year Jacob Wilson Finishes 2nd

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 17, 2025, 5:40 PM

nick kurtz wins 2025 al rookie of the year jacob wilson finishes 2nd

Nick Kurtz was unanimously named American League Rookie of the Year by the BBWAA after what was a historic season in the green and gold. Kurtz becomes the ninth A’s player ever to win the award and the first Athletic since Andrew Bailey in 2009. Alongside Kurtz, Jacob Wilson came in 2nd with 107 votes. That was ahead of Roman Anthony (BOS), Noah Cameron (KCR) and Colson Montgomery (CWS). Neither Denzel Clarke nor Jacob Lopez placed, but Luis Morales earned one vote from a local writer. He now joins the likes of Harry Byrd (1952), Jose Canseco (1986), Mark McGwire (1987), Walt Weiss (1988), Ben Grieve (1998), Bobby Crosby (2004), Huston Street (2005), and Andrew Bailey (2009) as A’s to...

When Kurtz was called up ahead of his debut on April 23, he played just 32 games in the minor leagues since being drafted in 2024, and it took him just 283 days to... The “Big Amish” immediately found his groove and would go on to lead all rookies in home runs (36), RBIs (86), extra-base hits (64), runs (90), slugging percentage (.619) and OPS (1.002). According to MLB.com, Kurtz becomes “the eighth rookie since 1901 to post an OPS over 1.000 (min. 400 plate appearances) and first since Aaron Judge in 2017.” Star Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz won the 2025 AL Rookie of the Year award in a unanimous decision, MLB announced Monday. Nick Kurtz is your 2025 American League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year!

pic.twitter.com/vzz0uIaidS With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Kurtz, the ninth Rookie of the Year in Athletics franchise history and first since pitcher Andrew Bailey in 2009, beat out his A's teammate, shortstop Jacob Wilson, and Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony... Kurtz, whom the Athletics selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, absolutely raked over his first 117 big-league games after being the sixth-fastest player to reach the majors in franchise history following his promotion from Triple-A Las... 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. Nick Kurtz is earning hardware for his impressive rookie campaign with the Athletics in West Sacramento. The 22-year-old domineering first baseman on Monday was named the American League Rookie of the Year for 2025 after clubbing 36 home runs with 86 RBI while batting .290/.383/.619.

Kurtz won the award unanimously with 30 first-place votes, becoming the 14th player in AL history to do so. He also was recognized Nov. 7 as the best hitting first baseman in baseball when MLB managers and coaches voted him to the Silver Slugger Award for the position after leading AL first baseman in home runs and OPS... He was the first rookie to win a Silver Slugger since José Abreu in 2014. His 36 homers this year were the second most in a season for an A’s rookie behind Mark McGwire’s 49 in 1987. His season was highlighted with one of the best single-game performances of all-time when he went 6-for-6 with 4 home runs in a 15-3 win over the Houston Astros July 25.

He became the first rookie to ever hit four homers in a game and matched the Major League record with 19 total bases in one contest. A's slugger Nick Kurtz hits a home run during a September 2025 game. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) Athletics slugger Nick Kurtz is the unanimous winner of the American League Rookie of the Year award after putting together an impressive season at the plate. M’s GM Hollander sounds very serious about Josh Naylor pursuit

The 22-year-old Kurtz batted .290 with 36 homers, 86 RBIs and a 1.002 OPS in 117 games this year. The first baseman became the eighth rookie since 1901 to finish with an OPS over 1.000 while making at least 400 plate appearances. A’s teammate Jacob Wilson was second in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America that was announced on Monday night. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony was third. Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz has been unanimously named the American League Rookie of the Year. Kurtz beat out his teammate, shortstop Jacob Wilson, and Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony to claim the honor with all 30 votes.

Kurtz — nicknamed “The Big Amish” for his upbringing in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a community with a large Amish population — becomes the ninth player in A's franchise history to win the Rookie of the... The Athletics’ first winner was in 1952, when Harry Byrd earned the honor as a member of the Philadelphia Athletics. The franchise also produced back-to-back winners in 2004 (shortstop Bobby Crosby) and 2005 (relief pitcher Huston Street) and three years in a row from 1986-88 with José Canseco, Mark McGwire and newly hired Atlanta... Wilson finished second in the award race with 23 second-place votes (107 total voting points). The Boston Red Sox's Roman Anthony finished third in voting with 72 points, including 15 third-place votes. With this Kurtz's victory, the Athletics now trail only the Yankees in the American League — and the Braves and Dodgers overall — for the most Rookie of the Year awards.

This is their first such award since 2009, when Andrew Bailey won it. This season was one of uncertainty for the Athletics, who missed the playoffs for the fifth straight season amid the first year of their temporary relocation to Sacramento. Still, the team’s young players provided a bright spot amid the transition. A well-deserved honor for the A’s rookie first baseman The American League Rookie of the Year winner was announced Monday evening, and to no one’s surprise A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz took home the award this year, the first Athletic to win it... It was a unanimous pick as Kurtz secured all 30 first-place votes.

That caps a historic rookie season for the young slugger. After getting drafted fourth overall just last year, Kurtz rocketed up through the minors and played just 33 games on the farm before getting called up. The lefty masher impressed almost immediately en route to hitting 36 home runs in his first taste of the big leagues, the second-most in baseball among first basemen. He wasn’t just a power threat though as he also hit .290 and Kurtz’s win didn’t come alone either. Teammate Jacob Wilson, who looked like the early favorite for the award before Kurtz’s promotion, came in second place, the first time teammates have finished 1-2 in Rookie of the Year voting since 1984:

Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz has been named the 2025 American League Rookie of the Year, the Baseball Writers Association of America announced. His teammate Jacob Wilson finished second and Roman Anthony of the Boston Red Sox finished third in the voting. Kurtz, who was the unanimous choice for the award, will be retroactively awarded a full year of service time by finishing in the top two of the voting. The full voting results can be found here. Kurtz was the fourth overall pick of the 2024 draft and came into 2025 as one of the top prospects in the league. He didn’t break camp with the club but was called up on April 23.

Almost immediately, he started showing his talent for crushing the ball. Due to his late call-up and a brief injured list stint for a strained left hip flexor, he only got into 117 games, but that was still enough time for him to put the... It wasn’t a perfect season, as Kurtz struck out at a high 30.9% rate. However, his 12.9% walk rate was quite strong. When combined with his aforementioned power, it was a very productive season. His .290/.383/.619 slash line translated to a wRC+ of 170.

Among hitters with at least 20 plate appearances this year, only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani topped that wRC+ number. It’s impressive that Kurtz did so much despite not even playing a full season. His late call-up also has notable implications for him and the club. The most recent collective bargaining agreement included measures to discourage service time manipulation. If a team promotes a top prospect early enough in a season for him to earn a full service year, the team can earn an extra draft pick if the player meets certain awards... On the flip side, if a player is not promoted early enough for a full service year and then goes on to finish in the top two of Rookie of the Year voting in...

Nick Kurtz Wins 2025 Al Rookie Of The Year Jacob Wilson Finishes 2nd

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— Athletics First Baseman And Lancaster County Native Nick Kurtz

In 117 Games, Kurtz Put Up A .290 Batting Average