As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
The Nomadic franchise will spend some time in California’s capitol, after decades in the East Bay. The A’s farm system has taken a pretty massive step forward, and they are graduating prospects rather quickly, the Angels get all the credit, or criticism for rushing guys through the minors but the A’s are no strangers to getting their guys up to the majors as Jacob Wilson speed ran his way through the minors, and now Nick Kurtz will more than likely follow suit. The A's have yet to establish a consistent pipeline in the IFA market, and that will be the next step for them to get young talent in that market. The A’s have had some foray into the IFA market but with middling success, Luis Morales looks like a rare A’s win, even if his profile has some flaws in it. The A’s farm system is loaded with close to the majors talent, as Jacob Wilson, and Max Muncy are going to make the team out of camp with the aforementioned Nick Kurtz not being that far behind even as their 2024 first-rounder. The A’s should become a more competitive team this year, and with the AL West up for grabs, keep an eye on the A’s making a run at the AL West title.
About Our Top 20 Lists
Prospects Live, led by its evaluating team & Director of Scouting Rhys White, is proud to begin rolling out its annual offseason system reports. The team combines industry feedback, our live looks, film, and available data to compile each org. We believe this effort has enabled us to present you, the reader, with our best possible view of the prospects in the organization.
We have constructed this list using the Overall Future Potential (OFP) scale. There is no perfect equation for ranking prospects or assigning value to them, but we believe this method is the best possible approach. Every prospect on this list has been graded based on the tried and true 20-80 scouting scale. An 80 is the highest tool and OFP grade on the scale, reserved for MVP-caliber players or tools. Conversely, a 20 is reserved for non-prospects (NPs). A 50 OFP falls in the middle, indicating our evaluators deem this player a future average major league player. Below the 50 OFP tier are the 45s and 40s, comprising a large majority of players on each list. These are specific-role players, such as platoon hitters, utility players, or low-leverage relievers. Above the 50 OFP tier are the 55s and 60s. A 55 represents a future above-average player, and a 60 OFP designation is reserved for future All-Star caliber players.
In addition to the tool grades and OFP, we will also include a 'Risk' associated with each prospect. We use this to better communicate to you, the reader, whether a grade is more aggressive or conservative in nature. The evaluation team has worked hard to apply both the grades and risk components to better illustrate how each individual prospect stacks up in their respective system and in the baseball ecosystem.
Kurtz is massively built with a wide upper body and plenty of strength throughout his frame. Though not overly athletic, Kurtz has good body control and utilizes it to stay compact in his swing. Kurtz's feet are slightly open in his stance, though his upper body is somewhat closed. Kurtz sets his hands at head height and initiates his swing with a toe tap before subtly loading his upper half. The product is an ultra-clean swing operation with few moving parts and borderline elite impact generation. Kurtz has double-plus raw power but gets to it so easily in the game thanks to his simple downhill swing, keeping his raw and game power practically in line. Kurtz has a special tendency to strike the lower half of the baseball and backspin it with plus-barrel accuracy. Kurtz ends up with his share of weakly hit or skied fly balls, but he frequently makes hard contact on a line or in the barrel zone. Forty home runs are certainly in view for a player with Kurtz's raw power and approach to hitting. Kurtz deploys double-plus discipline as a hitter, dominating the strike zone and spitting on tough secondaries. Kurtz's swing covers the entire zone, and few ways to attack a vulnerability exist. Kurtz's game has some swing and misses, with his in-zone whiff rate right about average, though some of that can be attributed to a power-geared swing. Kurtz has shown a true mastery for handling secondaries, rarely chasing them and finding ways to elevate breaking balls, an uncommon skill in pro baseball. Kurtz isn't quite as good regarding offspeed pitches, getting deceived and off schedule occasionally, but it is not a worrisome tendency as his production against offspeed pitches is still above average. Defensively, Kurtz has flashed plus hands and an ability to handle scorched ground balls, but he can sometimes be over-reliant on his hands. There is plus upside defensively and a chance to be one of the game's best defensive first basemen. Kurtz has an impressive arm for first base, and it has been on display making tight throws back to the plate in squeeze situations or similar types of plays. Kurtz won't make an impact as a baserunner, and he may eventually become a well below-average runner. Kurtz has the upside of being a premier first baseman and one of the game's best hitters, thanks to some uncanny hitting characteristics and double-plus pop. There's limited risk in the profile here, with his upside only capped by defensive limitation. - Tyler Paddor
Dynasty Outlook
We’ve seen “can’t miss” 1B prospects out of college miss all too often in recent years, but Kurtz feels different. His elite approach at the plate and excellent hit tool create a safety net not seen often in hitters with the kind of power he possesses. He’s a slam dunk top 4 pick for FYPDs, a top 30 overall prospect, and could contribute to your fantasy lineup in every category except SB before the 2025 season. - Kyle Sonntag
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
Director of Dynasty Content - Canadian born and raised, moved to Arkansas with my wife and two sons Ezra and Ari. Followed and played baseball my whole life; played dynasty for 25+ years.
Fantasy baseball player since 2004 with a focus on dynasty since 2010 | Unfortunate Pirates fan | Writing about dynasty baseball since 2022 | Surgery helper-outer
