LAS VEGAS — The Athletics’ first baseman Nick Kurtz was the unanimous American League Rookie of the Year, while Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin took the National League award, Major League Baseball announced Monday night.
Kurtz, 22, collected all 30 first-place votes after putting up a .290 batting average with 36 home runs and 86 RBIs. His 1.002 OPS ranked third in MLB behind Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, although he did not qualify for the batting title because he was promoted in late April. Kurtz finished the season with 4.6 fWAR, 25th among major leaguers.
His standout moment came on July 25 against the Houston Astros, when he belted four home runs in one game, becoming the 20th player in history to do so. He also recorded a two-homer game later in the season, again versus Houston. Kurtz led all rookies in homers and RBIs, ranked second in on-base percentage and third in hits.
Calling the award a fitting end to his first big-league season, Kurtz said he plans to use the recognition as motivation to keep improving.
Teammate Jacob Wilson finished second in the balloting, receiving 23 second-place votes, and Boston’s Roman Anthony was third. Kurtz and Wilson are the first teammates to finish first and second in AL Rookie of the Year voting since Alvin Davis and Mark Langston in 1984. Kansas City’s Noah Cameron and Chicago White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery rounded out the top five in the American League.
In the National League race, 24-year-old Drake Baldwin narrowly beat Chicago Cubs starter Cade Horton and Milwaukee’s Caleb Durbin. Baldwin earned 21 first-place votes to Horton’s nine. He hit .274 with 19 home runs, posted a .341 on-base percentage and drove in 80 runs over 124 games, recording the highest OPS among qualified rookie catchers. Horton’s strong second half, including a 1.03 ERA after the All-Star break, fell short of overcoming Baldwin’s overall numbers.
A surprised Baldwin said he had not expected the honor, noting that some polls had suggested Horton was the frontrunner and that friends had told him he might win. He said he felt honored to be a finalist and to receive the award.
Other National League vote-getters included Brewers outfielder Isaac Collins in fourth and Washington’s Daylen Lile in fifth.
Under current collective bargaining rules, Kurtz will be credited with a full year of major league service time for winning the award, but the A’s will not receive an extra draft pick because he was not on the big-league roster for at least 172 days. The Braves will earn a draft pick as a result of Baldwin’s victory.
