You ever see a baseball hit so hard it feels like the physics of the game just broke? That's what happened in West Sacramento when Nick Kurtz decided to turn a 2-2 fastball from Scott Barlow into a historical artifact.
It wasn't just any home run. It was the Nick Kurtz grand slam heard 'round the baseball world—a 493-foot moonshot that officially put the league on notice. Honestly, calling it a "homer" feels like an understatement. It was a statement.
That 493-Foot Night in Sacramento
Sept. 13, 2025. Mark it down. The Oakland Athletics were playing the Cincinnati Reds at Sutter Health Park, and the tension was thick. The Reds were clawing for a Wild Card spot, and the A's were just trying to prove that their young core was for real.
The bases were loaded in the eighth inning. Scott Barlow, a veteran who’s seen it all, was on the mound trying to keep the game within reach. He got ahead in the count. Then he missed.
Kurtz didn't just hit it; he pulverized it.
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The ball soared over the high batter’s eye in straightaway center field. Statcast started blinking red. 493 feet. That isn't just a long home run for a rookie; it was the longest home run of the entire 2025 MLB season. It also tied Shohei Ohtani for the longest homer in the last two years. Basically, the kid from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, joined the most exclusive power club in existence before he even finished his first full season.
Why the Nick Kurtz Grand Slam Actually Matters
You've probably seen plenty of grand slams, so why is this one the one everyone is talking about? Context is everything.
- Pure Distance: 493 feet is absurd. Since Statcast started tracking things in 2015, no Athletics player had ever hit a ball that far. Not Matt Olson. Not Khris Davis. Not even Brent Rooker.
- The Triple-A to MLB Leap: Kurtz only played 32 minor league games. Most guys need years to adjust to big-league velocity. Nick? He was hitting walk-off homers against Houston by June.
- The Unanimous Rookie of the Year Charge: This grand slam was the exclamation point on a season where he hit 36 home runs and drove in 86 runs. It basically ended the AL Rookie of the Year debate right then and there.
Kinda crazy to think that just a year prior, he was leading Wake Forest in walks and worrying about a hamstring injury. Now, he's the guy pitchers are terrified to face with the bases loaded.
The "Big Amish" Factor
If you haven't heard the nickname "Big Amish," you're missing out. At 6'5" and 240 pounds, Kurtz is a mountain of a man. His teammates gave him the nickname as a nod to his hometown and his massive frame.
Watching him swing is like watching a lumberjack with the precision of a surgeon. He doesn't just swing for the fences; he stays inside the ball. That’s what he told reporters back in the Arizona Fall League—that his goal is to work the left-center gap and stay true to his approach.
But when he gets a hanging breaking ball or a 95-mph heater in his happy zone? He’s going to "spin it right," as he says. And on July 8, 2025, he did exactly that against the Braves, mashing a 403-foot grand slam to right-center. People forget he actually hit multiple grand slams in his rookie year.
A Statistical Freak Show
Let's look at what this kid actually did in 2025 because it’s sort of hard to believe.
- Total Home Runs: 36 (most by an A's rookie).
- The 4-HR Game: On July 25, he became the first rookie in history to hit four home runs in a single game. He had 19 total bases that night. That's a "video game on easy mode" type of stat.
- Plate Discipline: 63 walks in 117 games. He isn't just a "swing at everything" power hitter. He has the eye of a veteran.
What Most People Get Wrong About Nick Kurtz
A lot of fans think he’s just another high-strikeout power bat. Wrong.
While he did strike out 151 times (hey, he's a rookie), his walk rate and OBP (.383) are elite. He’s more like a left-handed version of peak Joey Votto with more raw power. He was a 5.4 WAR player as a rookie. That's insane. Most "highly touted" prospects struggle to keep their head above water in their first year. Nick Kurtz just walked in and started redesigning the record books.
He also won a Silver Slugger. Think about that. In a league with some of the best first basemen we've seen in a decade, a 22-year-old took home the hardware.
Lessons from the Rise of Nick Kurtz
So, what can we actually take away from this? If you're a baseball fan or just someone following the A's move to Las Vegas, Kurtz is the face of the franchise.
- Patience pays off: His college career at Wake Forest was defined by his 189 career walks. That discipline translated directly to the pros.
- Don't over-scout the injury: He fell to the 4th pick in the 2024 draft because of a shoulder strain. The A's took the "risk" and it paid off to the tune of a $7 million signing bonus and a franchise cornerstone.
- Swing path matters: He doesn't sell out for pull power. His longest home runs, including the 493-footer, often go to center or even the opposite gap.
The Nick Kurtz grand slam wasn't just a highlight for a Twitter reel. It was proof that the Athletics have found their next superstar. He's not just a guy who hits home runs; he's a guy who changes the dimensions of the park every time he steps into the box.
If you're looking to follow his 2026 season, keep an eye on his exit velocity. He averaged 92.7 mph in 2025, which is in the top tier of all MLB hitters. As he gets more comfortable with big-league sequencing, those numbers are only going to go up.
Next Steps for Following Nick Kurtz:
- Monitor his 2026 Spring Training splits to see if he's cutting down on the whiffs against high-velocity fastballs.
- Watch how pitchers adjust to him in "Year 2"—expect a lot more intentional walks if there's no protection in the lineup behind him.
- Check out his Statcast spray charts; his ability to drive the ball 400+ feet to all fields is what makes him truly dangerous.