Experts see upside in A’s top draft pick: ‘(We’re) very excited’

Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz was atop the Oakland Athletics’ board for several months leading up to the 2024 MLB draft, scouting director Eric Kubota said.

The A’s got their guy Sunday. They selected Kurtz — who Kubota called “an incredible kid” — fourth overall soon after the draft began at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas.

“(He’s) extremely advanced in his knowledge about hitting and what he’s trying to accomplish at the plate,” Kubota said. “Very mature. (We’re) very excited. … We’ve done a lot of background work, and Nick checks all the boxes for us.”

The A’s made 21 picks during the draft’s 20 rounds. Kurtz is the headliner, a player who could be one of the faces of the franchise by the time the team is scheduled to move to Las Vegas in 2028.

The A’s drew mixed reviews from national expects last year when they selected Grand Canyon shortstop Jacob Wilson sixth overall. They were praised this year, even though Kurtz dealt with a shoulder injury last season.

‘Safer pick’

The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked Kurtz as the seventh-best prospect in the draft. He was impressed by Kurtz’s disciplined approach at the plate after the 21-year-old drew a Wake Forest-record 78 walks in 54 games last season.

“He had the highest walk rate of any eligible Division I hitter, and he does have bat speed and raw power to go with it, so you can project a high (on-base percentage) and 30 homers if he gets to a reasonable upside,” Law wrote.

Kurtz hit .306 for the Demon Deacons as a junior with 22 home runs and 57 RBIs. The 6-foot-5 left-handed hitter is Wake Forest’s all-time leader in walks with 189.

Law said Kurtz “doesn’t swing much, but when he does, he shows excellent bat speed, and he hits the ball in the air the vast majority of the time, with several balls hit at 110 mph or harder this season.”

ESPN’s David Schoenfield wrote it was a “minor surprise” the A’s took Kurtz over Florida first baseman Jac Caglianone, who was taken sixth by the Kansas City Royals. But Schoenfield wrote he thinks Kurtz could get to the majors soon.

“Kurtz might have the better hit tool and definitely has the better plate discipline right now, so he can perhaps be viewed as a bit of a safer pick,” Schoenfield wrote.

Other picks

The A’s selected Louisiana State third baseman Tommy White 40th overall in the second round. Law ranked White as the draft’s 20th-best prospect.

White hit .330 as a junior, below his average as a freshman at North Carolina State (.362) and as a sophomore at LSU (.374). But Law wrote there are “enough positives” to cancel out any of White’s shortcomings.

“Pitchers threw him fewer strikes and he continued chasing stuff out of the zone,” Law wrote. “He does make a lot of very hard contact and has 25-30 homer power, while he improved his defense at third enough this year that the consensus among scouts was that he’d probably stick.”

ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel believes the “best value” the A’s got outside the first round was LSU left-hander Gage Jump, who they picked 73rd overall in the Competitive Balance Round B.

Jump missed the 2023 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He returned this year to post a 6-2 record at LSU with a 3.47 ERA. He struck out 101 batters in 83 innings and allowed opponents to hit just .218 against him.

“He eventually delivered on his high school promise, showing four above-average pitches and starter control this spring,” McDaniel wrote.

Law thinks Jump could be a valuable reliever in the long run.

Jump “has excellent pitch characteristics, with good ride on the 92-95 (mph) fastball and high spin on two breaking balls,” Law wrote. “It’s a violent, jerky delivery, though, and he’s already had one Tommy John surgery, while LSU worked him very hard down the stretch this year.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.