Oakland Athletics Welcome Nick Kurtz To The Team With Instagram Post
Young baseman debuts MLB with Oakland, races to stardom amid franchise transition.
Sneha holds a master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Hyderabad. With over four years of experience in writing, she specializes in crafting insightful articles for MLBcraze and Stylecraze. Sneha’s career journey includes roles as an instructional designer and freelance technical and research writer.
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Image: Instagram
The Oakland Athletics have officially welcomed first baseman Nick Kurtz to their roster, announcing his MLB debut with an Instagram post captioned “Welcome to the Show, Nick!”
The post features an image of Kurtz in his Athletics uniform number 7, showing him in action on the baseball field. The young slugger, selected 8th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft from the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, has quickly become one of the organization’s most exciting prospects as they prepare for their transition to Las Vegas.
Before joining the Athletics organization, Kurtz established himself as one of college baseball’s premier power hitters at Wake Forest. The left-handed first baseman posted remarkable numbers during his collegiate career, showcasing both power and plate discipline that caught scouts’ attention. His junior season was particularly impressive, as he combined a high batting average with exceptional on-base skills and slugging percentage.
“Nick has all the tools we look for in a modern first baseman,” stated Athletics’ director of scouting Eric Kubota following the draft. “He combines outstanding power with a mature approach at the plate that’s rare for his age. We believe he has the potential to be a cornerstone player as we build toward the future.”
The Athletics’ decision to bring Nick to the team comes during a significant period of transition for the historic franchise. Founded in 1901 as one of the American League’s eight charter franchises, the A’s have won nine World Series championships throughout their storied history.
Currently, the team is in the midst of both a competitive rebuild and a geographic transition. After playing at the Oakland Coliseum since 1968, the Athletics are planning to relocate to Las Vegas, with their new stadium expected to be ready for the 2028 season. In the interim, the team will play in Sacramento from 2025-2027. The 2024 season represents the Athletics’ final year in Oakland, ending a 57-year run in the city.
As the Athletics prepare to bid farewell to Oakland, all eyes will be on how quickly Kurtz can progress toward making his major league debut. If his development continues at its current pace, many analysts project he could reach Oakland before the team completes its move to Las Vegas.
With his combination of power potential, plate discipline, and first base defense, Nick Kurtz represents hope for an Athletics franchise in transition—a potential cornerstone player around whom the team can build as they write their next chapter in Las Vegas.
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