Historic Nick Kurtz Announcement Made on Monday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Will Chesanek | Last updated May 18, 2026 7:54 PM ET

Nick Kurtz of the Athletics has taken Major League Baseball by storm since arriving in the big leagues. After being selected No. 4 overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Kurtz played only 32 minor league games before the club felt he was ready for the big show. Kurtz proved the Athletics right, dominating at the plate during his rookie season.

The 6-foot-5 first baseman became the first rookie in MLB history to hit four home runs in a game, was named the American League Player of the Month for July, and hit a 493-foot grand slam on Sept. 13 against the Cincinnati Reds, the longest home run hit by an Athletics batter since Statcast was implemented in 2015. The homer tied Shohei Ohtani for the longest home run since 2023.

Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz celebrates with teammatesRick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Kurtz finished the 2025 season having played in 117 games, scoring 90 runs with 122 hits, 26 doubles, 36 home runs and 86 RBIs. The Baylor School graduate walked 63 times, finished with a 1.002 OPS, and was named the 2025 AL Rookie of the Year for his efforts. Now, 45 games into the 2026 season, Kurtz has reached the 162-career-game mark, the equivalent of a complete regular season in baseball. When tallying his total numbers during that span, Kurtz has been historic.

Now with eight home runs, 29 RBIs and 44 walks so far in the 2026 season, Kurtz has made history through his first 162 games. In an Instagram post on Monday, MLB Network announced Kurtz is the only left-handed hitter in MLB history with 40-plus home runs, 100-plus RBIs and 100-plus walks through his first 162 games.

The Instagram post further highlighted his historic 162-game run by comparing his statistical output to Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros and Mark McGwire of the Athletics. The final slide in the post shows the MLB slugging percentage leaders since the start of 2025. On opposite-field hits, Kurtz ranks No. 1 in baseball with a 1.026 slugging percentage. On straightaway hits, he ranks second behind Aaron Judge’s 1.087 mark with a .961 slugging percentage.

“Nick Kurtz has played 162 career games and so far he’s been historic ,” MLB Network wrote on Instagram.