Lead
Nick Kurtz of the Oakland Athletics was named the 2025 American League Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, the BBWAA announced in November 2025. Kurtz, a unanimous choice, finished ahead of teammate Jacob Wilson (second) and Roman Anthony of the Boston Red Sox (third). Despite a late-season call-up and a brief stint on the injured list, Kurtz produced 36 home runs across 117 games and posted a .290/.383/.619 slash line with a 170 wRC+. Because he placed first in the voting, he will be retroactively credited with a full year of service time tied to the awards-based service-time rule.
Key Takeaways
- Nick Kurtz was the unanimous 2025 AL Rookie of the Year, with Jacob Wilson second and Roman Anthony third in BBWAA voting.
- Kurtz reached 36 home runs in 117 games after being called up on April 23, producing a .290/.383/.619 line and a 170 wRC+.
- He struck out at a 30.9% rate but paired that with a strong 12.9% walk rate, underlining high power and plate discipline when he connected.
- Kurtz logged 159 service days in 2025—13 days short of the 172 required for a full season—but finishes top-two in voting, so he is retroactively awarded a full year.
- The retroactive credit reduces Oakland’s arbitration/control window over Kurtz from six seasons to five, moving his projected free agency from 2031 to after the 2030 season.
- Jacob Wilson posted a .311/.355/.444 line (121 wRC+) with only 13 homers and a 7.5% strikeout rate; he had been ineligible for the Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) due to 73 service days in 2024.
- Roman Anthony hit .292/.396/.463 (140 wRC+) in 71 games and signed an eight-year, $130 million extension in August 2025; he accumulated 112 service days this season.
Background
Nick Kurtz was selected fourth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft and entered the 2025 season as one of baseball’s top prospects. The Athletics did not place him on the Opening Day roster; instead, he made his major-league debut after being called up on April 23, 2025. His quick adjustment—deliveries of power and on-base ability—turned what might have been a partial campaign into a Rookie of the Year season.
The 2021–2026 collective bargaining agreement introduced changes to discourage service-time manipulation, including the Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI). Under PPI, clubs that promote top prospects sufficiently early and see them reach award thresholds can earn extra draft compensation. Conversely, the agreement also allows a player who finishes in the top two of Rookie of the Year voting to receive a retroactive full year of service if they fell short due to delayed promotion.
Main Event
Kurtz’s path to the award involved a late arrival and high-impact performance. After joining the Athletics on April 23, he compiled 117 games played with 36 homers despite a stint on the injured list for a strained left hip flexor. His offensive profile combined elite isolated power and a disciplined walk rate; that produced a league-leading wRC+ behind only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani among hitters with at least 20 plate appearances.
Voting from the BBWAA made Kurtz the unanimous recipient of the AL Rookie of the Year award in 2025. Jacob Wilson, also an Athletics product, placed second in the balloting; Roman Anthony of the Red Sox finished third. Because Kurtz finished first, the BBWAA outcome triggers the awards-based service-time provision that awards a full season to eligible players who finish in the top two.
Service-time arithmetic is straightforward: Kurtz logged 159 days in 2025, falling 13 days short of the 172 days that define a full service year. The retroactive credit moves his counted service to a full season, shortening the club’s control timeline by one year. That change affects arbitration and free-agency timing and has material long-term roster and payroll implications for Oakland.
Analysis & Implications
On the field, Kurtz’s output was extraordinary for a non–full-season player. A .290/.383/.619 slash and 170 wRC+ indicate performance well above replacement and even above many established stars; the underlying blend of 36 homers and a double-digit walk rate explains how he produced so much value in 117 games. The high 30.9% strikeout rate signals a clear avenue for improvement if he is to sustain or grow this production.
Contractually, the retroactive service year is significant. By converting his 2025 service total to a full year, Kurtz’s arbitration timeline and eligibility for free agency accelerate. Instead of the Athletics controlling his services through five arbitration-eligible seasons plus one pre-arbitration window (six years under the old count), the club now has one fewer year of exclusive control—moving projected free agency from after 2031 to after 2030.
The PPI mechanism is designed to align incentives: promote deserving prospects earlier and be rewarded, or delay promotion and accept that a top-two awards finish can restore a service year retrospectively. Oakland’s decision-making around Kurtz’s promotion timing will now be evaluated in that light; because he would have been PPI-eligible had he been called up earlier, the team lost the chance at a compensatory draft pick in 2026 but still must live with the shorter control period.
Comparison & Data
| Player | G | HR | AVG | OBP | SLG | wRC+ | Service Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Kurtz (A’s) | 117 | 36 | .290 | .383 | .619 | 170 | 159 |
| Jacob Wilson (A’s) | — | 13 | .311 | .355 | .444 | 121 | 73 (2024) |
| Roman Anthony (BOS) | 71 | — | .292 | .396 | .463 | 140 | 112 |
The table highlights how Kurtz’s counting stats were concentrated into fewer games than a full season, yet his rate stats and wRC+ place him among the AL’s most valuable hitters in 2025. Wilson’s profile is the opposite: below-average walk rate and low power but elite contact skills and a premium defensive position at shortstop. Anthony’s limited sample includes strong offense and above-average defense, validated by defensive metrics and his eight-year contract.
Reactions & Quotes
Official and public responses were measured and noted the season’s statistical outperformance alongside the service-time consequences.
“Nick Kurtz is the 2025 American League Rookie of the Year,”
Baseball Writers’ Association of America (official announcement)
The BBWAA release simply named the award winners and published the full voting breakdown, which confirmed Kurtz’s unanimous selection. That formal announcement is the basis for the awards-based service-time credit.
“Finishing in the top two triggers a full service year under current CBA rules,”
Collective Bargaining Agreement provisions (administrative guidance)
Labor-language explanations circulated among front-office and labor observers to clarify that the vote’s outcome moves Kurtz to a full credited season—an administrative, not discretionary, effect tied to the award placement.
Unconfirmed
- Whether Oakland’s promotion timing for Kurtz factored in service-time strategy rather than baseball reasons is not publicly confirmed.
- The precise dollar impact of a top-two finish on Roman Anthony’s contract escalators depends on contract language that has not been publicly itemized.
- The internal deliberations about promoting Kurtz earlier in spring 2025 or during April are not documented publicly and remain subject to club testimony.
Bottom Line
Nick Kurtz’s Rookie of the Year award recognizes an unusually productive partial season: elite power, strong on-base skills, and a 170 wRC+ in 117 games. That combination made him the unanimous choice for AL Rookie of the Year and moved him into a full credited service year under the current collective bargaining framework.
The immediate on-field takeaway is clear—Kurtz is a foundational bat for the A’s—but the longer-term impact is administrative and financial: Oakland loses one year of team control and missed the PPI compensatory pick opportunity by not promoting him earlier. For fans and front offices alike, the award closes one chapter of Kurtz’s rookie arc and accelerates the timetable for future roster and contract decisions.
Sources
- MLB Trade Rumors — News report and voting summary
- Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) — Official voting body and announcement (official)
- FanGraphs — Advanced metrics and context (analytics)