Athletics Nick Kurtz's walking ability has him up with all-time greats

Athletics Nick Kurtz's walking ability has him up with all-time greats originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz has proven to be one of the best players in the game and continues to do so. The reigning American League Rookie of the Year winner is not off to the hottest starts, but Kurtz has produced: a .227 batting average and .807 OPS.

Kurtz hasn’t shown his power fully at the plate, having three home runs and a .387 slugging percentage, but he has gotten on base at a high rate. The Silver Slugger’s high on-base percentage (.420) is due to his high walk rate (25%) and his ability to draw walks (25).

Nick Kurtz joins the Athletics all-time greats thanks to his walking abilities

According to MLB’s Sarah Langs, Kurtz has walked in 11 consecutive games, which puts him on a list with some elite (Oakland/Philadelphia) Athletics hitters. Hall of Fame outfielder Rickey Henderson is on the list twice (1990: 12 games and 1993: 15 games), Hall of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane (1929: 13), outfielder Topsy Hartsel (1905: 15 games), and infielder Max Bishop (1933: 15 games).

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Despite “poor” overall stats, Kurtz has been swinging a hot bat as of late. In his last seven games, he’s hitting .304 with a 1.124 OPS, two home runs, and seven RBI. 10 out of Kurtz's 25 walks this season have come in his last seven games, while he’s struck out seven times (33 total).

Kurtz got off to a slow start last April, hitting .250 with a .490 OPS in seven games. But turned it in once the calendar turned to May, hitting .243 with a .851 OPS in 21 games.