The A's first baseman has launched home runs to the opposite field in three straight games, and his improved stats against lefties suggest he's just getting started.
Nick Kurtz is in the midst of one of the longest on-base streaks in A's history, having reached in 38 straight games and counting. He's currently one behind Jason Giambi's 1997 and 1998 seasons, and 10 back of Mark McGwire's streak of 48 in 1996. For three straight seasons, A's first basemen were making history.
While getting on base is great, Kurtz's power combined with his ability to get on is what makes him a feared hitter. There's a reason that his on-base streak has grown so rapidly this season, and it's not because he's been homering every game. It's because pitchers were trying to get around him as best they could. Now he's about to show why that plan was prudent.
When he went deep on Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals, that homer announced what was coming, because it went just to the left of center field. When Kurtz is at his best at the plate, he's driving the ball to the opposite field. After Friday night's three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants, he's now launched home runs to the left of center — varying degrees of oppo tacos — in three straight games.
These should be considered warning shots for the rest of the league, because he's just getting started.
Kurtz's adjustments are paying off
Following Wednesday's game, Kurtz told Athletics Roundtable about the adjustment he made before the home run.
"I figured after he struck me out with a few sliders in the first at-bat, there's a good chance that he would go to it. He threw me two early, so I knew in a certain spot with two strikes, he was going to go back to it. Fouled off a fastball away before that, so I thought the spin was coming. It just happened to be the smaller one."
That homer, a grand slam, was his first long ball of the season against a lefty, which is another good sign. Kurtz faced Eric Lauer in the third game of the season — his first time seeing a southpaw starter — and went 1-for-2 with a walk
This looked like it could be a sign after his immense struggles against lefties last season, and this has proven correct thus far.
Last season Kurtz was essentially two different hitters, depending on who was on the mound — Aaron Judge against righties and Anthony Volpe against lefties.
Kurtz vs LHP in 2025: .197 average, .261 OBP, 83 wRC+, 7.8% BB%, 35.3% K%
Kurtz vs RHP in 2025: .336 average, .439 OBP, 211 wRC+, 15.2% BB%, 28.9% K%
This season, however, those splits are a lot closer.
Kurtz vs LHP in 2026: .250 average, .373 OBP, 103 wRC+, 15.2% BB%, 36.4% K%
Kurtz vs RHP in 2026: .290 average, .458 OBP, 178 wRC+, 23.4% BB%, 25.8% K%
The second-year masher has walked 30 times against right-handers and struck out 35 times. That's the kind of ratio that landed him atop the A's draft board just a couple of years ago.
Mark Kotsay talked about Kurtz's adjustments earlier this week as well. "To battle against that lefty [who] kind of had his number a little bit the first two at-bats shows a lot about just making adjustments.
"Those Hall of Fame-type guys make adjustments pitch-to-pitch. All-Star guys make adjustments at-bat to at-bat, and everyday guys make adjustments game-to-game for the most part. It's great to see Nick make an adjustment and drive the ball out to the left side."