Nick Kurtz’s Record-Shattering Season: Inside Baseball’s Next No. 1 Draft Pick

Oakland, Calif. — Rookie first baseman Nick Kurtz delivered a performance for the ages Friday night, belting four home runs in a 6-for-6, 11-RBI outburst that powered the Athletics past the Houston Astros and stamped his name in Major League Baseball history. Kurtz, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 draft out of Wake Forest, became the first rookie ever — and just the 20th player overall — to record a four-homer game. His barrage also tied the franchise record for total bases (18) and pushed him to 23 homers and 62 RBIs through his first 66 big-league contests, a pace that suddenly has the 22-year-old slugger leading every American League rookie in each triple-slash category. Historic night in context • First MLB rookie with a four-homer game • Fifth player in Athletics history with a four-homer game, first since 1999 • Second-highest single-game RBI total in club annals From Demon Deacon to Diamond Darling Before terrorizing big-league pitching, the 6-foot-5 Kurtz posted a 1.212 OPS over three seasons at Wake Forest, spearheading the Demon Deacons’ 2023 College World Series run and finishing his college career with 47 homers and nearly as many walks as strikeouts. Oakland fast-tracked him after he torched Double-A and Triple-A pitching for 14 long balls in just 32 games last spring. Meet “Big Amish” Fans have embraced Kurtz’s “Big Amish” nickname, a nod to his Lancaster, Pennsylvania roots and its large Amish community, and he’s already become a crowd favorite with a buttery-smooth left-handed swing and a celebratory butter-churn gesture after each blast. Rookie of the Year race tilts in his favor Friday’s power show vaulted Kurtz to the top of virtually every sportsbook’s AL Rookie of the Year odds board, surpassing early season favorites from Baltimore and Seattle. His 1.032 OPS trails only Juan Soto and Yordan Álvarez among all AL hitters with at least 250 plate appearances. What’s next The Athletics open a three-game set against the division-leading Mariners tonight. Kurtz will carry a 12-game hitting streak — and a 31-at-bat on-base streak — into the matchup, setting the stage for even more rookie fireworks as Oakland pushes to stay in the wild-card picture. SEO keywords: Nick Kurtz four home run game, Oakland Athletics rookie, AL Rookie of the Year, Wake Forest baseball star, Big Amish nickname, MLB record.