Athletics star slugger wins major award as a 22-year-old rookie
Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz won the American League Silver Slugger Award for his position, the team announced Friday, becoming the first A’s rookie to win the honor.
Kurtz, the 22-year-old Pennsylvania native who is also among three finalists for the AL Rookie of the Year Award set to be announced next week, made his MLB debut at West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park in April. The team played its home games at Sutter Health Park in 2025 and will do so through at least 2027 before the team’s planned permanent move to Las Vegas.
Kurtz finished 2025 with 36 home runs, a .290 batting average and a 1.002 on-base plus slugging percentage. His home run totals and OPS led all American League first basemen.
Kurtz had arguably the best game by a hitter in MLB history on July 25, when he blasted four home runs against the Astros in Houston. He became the 20th MLB player and first rookie ever to homer four times in a game, and in adding a single and a double, he tied the all-time, single-game total base record with 19.
The Silver Slugger Award recognizes the best hitter at each position in each of MLB’s National League and American League. The winners are chosen by voters from MLB coaches and managers in each league, with each team getting four votes. MLB announced the NL winners Thursday and AL winners Friday.
Voters are asked to consider batters’ worthiness based on a number of offensive statistics, “as well as the managers’ and coaches’ general impressions of a player’s overall offensive value,” the A’s said in a team news release.
A’s designated hitter Brent Rooker won the Silver Slugger last year. It’s the first time since 2001 and 2002 that an A’s player won a Silver Slugger in back-to-back years, according to the team news release. Jason Giambi (first base) won it in 2001 and Eric Chavez (third base) in 2002.
