- Full name Nicholas Jeffrey Kurtz
- Born 03/11/2003 in Lancaster, PA
- Profile Ht.: 6'6" / Wt.: 230 / Bats: L / Throws: L
- School Baylor
-
Drafted in the 1st round (4th overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2024 (signed for $7,000,000).
View Draft Report
School: Wake Forest
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.4
BA Grade: 55/High
Tools: Hit: 60. Power: 60. Run: 40. Field: 60. Arm: 50.
One of the most well-rounded position players in the 2024 class, Kurtz is a towering, 6-foot-5, 235-pound, lefthanded-hitting first baseman who has been a lethal middle-of-the-order presence in Wake Forest’s lineup since the day he stepped on campus. He homered 15 times as a freshman and then put together back-to-back 20-homer campaigns in each of his next two seasons. He is a career .333/.510/.725 hitter and ranks second on Wake Forest’s career leaderboard with 61 home runs—behind only 2023 first-rounder Brock Wilken—and first with 161 walks. Kurtz has a terrific blend of raw power and advanced bat-to-ball skills with a surprisingly compact swing and a great batting eye. He never expands the zone and is content to take free passes when pitchers work him carefully. His 80% career contact rate is a strong number for a tall, long-levered hitter with his all-fields impact ability. Kurtz has a chance for a plus hit and plus power combination that could lead to a .280 average and 30-plus home runs in his peak years, with a solid offensive floor given his on-base skills. Kurtz finished his career with a 24.1% walk rate, and his 30% mark in 2024 was tops among all Division I hitters. While he is a first baseman, he is a potentially plus defender at the position who moves well around the bag and has reliable hands and a solid throwing arm. Kurtz has dealt with rib and shoulder injuries that have cost him time during his college career, but he should still be a top 10 pick.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
-
BA Grade: 55/High
Track Record: One of the most well-rounded position players in the 2024 class, Kurtz is a towering, 6-foot-5, 235-pound, lefthanded-hitting first baseman who has been a lethal middle-of-the-order presence in Wake Forest’s lineup since the day he stepped on campus. He homered 15 times as a freshman and then put together back-to-back 20-homer campaigns in each of his next two seasons. He is a career .333/.510/.725 hitter and ranks second on Wake Forest’s career leaderboard with 61 home runs—behind only 2023 first-rounder Brock Wilken—and first with 161 walks.
Scouting Report: Kurtz has a terrific blend of raw power and advanced bat-to-ball skills with a surprisingly compact swing and a great batting eye. He never expands the zone and is content to take free passes when pitchers work him carefully. His 80% career contact rate is a strong number for a tall, long-levered hitter with his all-fields impact ability. Kurtz has a chance for a plus hit and plus power combination that could lead to a .280 average and 30-plus home runs in his peak years, with a solid offensive floor given his on-base skills. Kurtz finished his career with a 24.1% walk rate, and his 30% mark in 2024 was tops among all Division I hitters.
The Future: While he is a first baseman, he is a potentially plus defender at the position who moves well around the bag and has reliable hands and a solid throwing arm. Kurtz has dealt with rib and shoulder injuries that have cost him time during his college career, but the A’s still made him the No. 4 overall pick in the draft.
Scouting Grades:Hit: 60 | Power: 60 | Run: 40 | Field: 60 | Arm: 50.
Draft Prospects
-
School: Wake Forest Committed: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.4
One of the most well-rounded offensive players in the 2024 class, Kurtz is a towering, 6-foot-5, lefthanded hitting first baseman who has been a lethal middle-of-the-order presence in Wake Forest’s lineup since the day he stepped on campus. He went from 15 home runs as a freshman to 24 in his sophomore season, and is a career .345/.499/.708 hitter with the Demon Deacons, while posting a 16.8% strikeout rate and 21.2% walk rate. Kurtz has long levers, but pairs advanced bat-to-ball skills with a surprisingly compact swing and a savvy batting eye. His swing decisions lead infrequent chases out of the zone, though the length of his levers and his bat speed allows him to to get the barrel to all parts of the zone—making him tough to beat. He has plus raw power and has homered to all fields throughout his college career, and in the 2023 season he posted a strong 108.9-mph 90th percentile exit velocity. Kurtz is a strong defender at first base and has a chance for plus defensive upside at the position, thanks to impressive body control and better athleticism than is typical for the position. He is an average runner underway and because of that teams might be inclined to try him in a corner outfield position at the next level.
