Jacob Wilson of the Athletics was the leading candidate for American League Rookie of the Year for most of this season.
But teammate Nick Kurtz is in the process of taking over the pole position.
The two rookies have created optimism for the club’s future and the Athletics are enjoying a hot streak as they open a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners at West Sacramento, Calif.
The Athletics are looking for a season-best fifth straight win after annihilating the Houston Astros in a four-game road sweep.
The A’s outscored Houston 32-7 for their first four-game sweep during manager Mark Kotsay’s 3 1/2 seasons at the helm.
“That was huge for us to win four games over the top seed in our division,” Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler said after Sunday’s 7-1 win. “It says what kind of team we are. We’re always grinding. … We’re going to go into Sacramento with some momentum.”
Kurtz was the prime force for the Athletics despite sitting out Sunday due to a tired lower body. He went 11-for-15 in the series with nine RBIs.
The 22-year-old etched his name into baseball lore with one of the top individual outings in history. Kurtz went 6-for-6 with four homers, eight RBIs, six runs and a whopping 19 total bases in Friday’s 15-3 romp over Houston.
Kurtz has played in 67 games for the A’s after opening the season with 20 appearances for Triple-A Las Vegas. He also made one rehab appearance at Class A Stockton for a total of 88 games. He has never played that many games in a season at any level.
“I’m learning as I go,” Kurtz said. “I’m trying to figure out what I need to do in the training room and weight room to prepare myself each and every day. I’m learning from the guys who have been there and done that.”
Selected fourth overall in the 2024 draft after hitting 61 homers in 164 college games at Wake Forest, Kurtz has displayed impressive raw power this season. He is batting .309 with 23 homers, 59 RBIs and a .683 slugging percentage.
At the same time, Wilson is in a 4-for-38 rut to see his average drop to .312. The starting shortstop in the All-Star Game for the American League missed three games of the Houston series with a lingering left hand injury and he may sit again Monday.
Seattle, of course, has its own player doing big things in All-Star catcher Cal Raleigh.
Raleigh hit homers in each of the last two games of a four-game set in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels. He leads the majors with 41 and is the first catcher and first switch-hitter in MLB history to reach 40 homers before the end of July.
The Mariners, who lost 4-1 on Sunday, are tied for second in the AL West with the Texas Rangers and the same clubs are knotted for the third and final wild-card spot.
It will be no surprise if Seattle makes a move or two prior to Thursday’s trade deadline.
“We do have some other areas we’d like to address — and not the least of which is, like every other team in the postseason hunt, we’d like to add to that bullpen,” Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said on Sirius radio Sunday.
Right-hander Luis Castillo (7-6, 3.30 ERA) starts for Seattle against left-hander JP Sears (7-8, 4.98) of the Athletics.
Castillo, 32, lost to the A’s on March 28 when he gave up two runs and three hits over five innings. He is 3-3 with a 3.28 ERA in 46 2/3 innings over eight career starts against the Athletics.
Sears, 29, lost to Seattle on March 30 when he allowed two runs and five hits over 6 2/3 innings. He is 2-4 with a 2.67 ERA in 57 1/3 innings over 10 appearances (nine starts) against the Mariners.
Raleigh is 2-for-12 with a homer off Sears.
–Field Level Media
