Wyatt Langford 44’s minor league game proved he belonged to the majors. Nick Kurtz was only 32.
So, even if he has passion for his fourth pick in the 2023 draft, he will still need to score his fourth pick in the 2024 draft when he learns he will receive a call last year.
Ultimately, Kurtz thoroughly steamed the minors, cutting .336/.432/.689 with 11 home runs in 32 games. In 20 games this year at Triple A Las Vegas, he cut .321/.385/.655 with seven home runs. The sample is so small that we should probably take the data we can get, and to do so, I point out that he will cut .261/.452/.522 on two home runs this spring with 31 plate appearances and walk more time (7) than he hit. In conclusion, all the tests thrown at Kurtz so far, even if they were, he was handed in flying colours.
It takes creativity to bring him to the lineup with Tyler Soderstrom, who is already appearing first for track and field, but they have expressed their willingness to become creative and try DH Brent Rooker again in the outfield and occasionally use Soderstrom on 3 bases.
“The beauty of the process is the addition of a bat that can affect the lineup,” manager Mark Cotsou said recently. “How to do that is continually debate. But there is an opportunity for rotation to occur between the outfield position, the DH position and the 1 base position. Perhaps look at 3 base what we are using what we can do. There are plenty of options.”
If you’re looking for a comp, Matt Olson seems like a good place to start, not just because Kurtz is another 6-foot-5 left-handed first base hand to wear green and gold to start his career. His power is astounding and like playing on every field. His understanding of the strike zone is near the top of the scale. There’s a chance that he’s batting average, but given his tendency to rock and miss the zone’s pitch, a trait he shares with Olson, I think he’ll attack a little more against major league pitching. Obviously, his opposite scope and evidence of his preparation make him a must-see, regardless of form.
That’s the simple part.
The tricky thing is how to add Kurtz. Especially if you’re already swimming in a breakout first bass man, it seems like no one has yet to rule themselves out of the competition, considering that it presented us each number each week. While not all opportunities are stuck, each has such fascinating cases that it feels like a speculation between picking and between.
I just wrote about this Monday and did my best to rank Soderstrom, Jonathan Aranda, Ben Rice, Spencer Torkelson, Kyle Manzard and Michael Bush (the order that’s right there) on the thinnest criteria.
Go ahead and remove the Sodderstrom from your running. There is no scenario for dropping a major league leader on a home run. At the other end, Kurtz probably belongs to Manzard and Busch, both of which lack a bit in terms of raw power, and in the majors he doesn’t hit the ball at 110 mph. Bush also has the most obvious platoon concerns that have not yet begun against left-handed pitchers. So we know that Kurtz will land somewhere in the middle, but between Aranda, it’s much harder to say between Rice and Tolkelson.
Part of me wants to put him behind all three because I think the breakout cases are particularly strong in each. And their yearly production is like you have to assume there is no other chance in what you drop. Also, Torquelson, the lowest of the three, is the most proven in some respects, winning a 94 RBI season with 31 Homer in 2023. Kurtz may not be in a way that Torkelson is. That’s why the brave part, another part of me, wants to slot Kurtz out ahead of Aranda, Rice and Torkelson on the following rationale…
It’s not even considered in shallow leagues. It doesn’t happen to you to move on from Aranda, Rice or Torkelson in the Rotisserie League. It also allows you to fill in that extra corner infield spot. The same applies when you’re in a league where you play directly against a team of 12 or more other players. The types of leagues that can be run remotely are using the direct-to-face lineup, with 12 teams or less. They are a kind of league with rich exemption wires and a ridiculous roster crunch. In a league like this, it should probably sell out the most in the latest state, and for me, Kurtz is the most up-and-coming of that group. That doesn’t mean he’s certain he’ll meet it as a rookie. It doesn’t mean that others are missing upside down. That means Kurtz is the most and very shallow in the league, so it can even entertain the idea of throwing away Aranda, Rice, or Torkelson for what he’s doing now.
So, if that’s what it is, would I take Kurtz over Ryan Mount Castle? Certainly, I would. Jake Burger? You are Betcha. Paul Goldschmidt? If that’s what it took, that’s right. Either way, you will need to preside over Kurtz. The advantage is too great for him to let someone else slip.
But I try to be angry to avoid abandoning Aranda, Rice and Torkelson. Even if you don’t know how to fit all the pieces into your lineup at the moment, you’ll throw away the worst starting pitchers and more. Again, I don’t know which of these first emerged bassmen actually sticks. That may not be Kurtz. Major’s learning curve is currently particularly high, and last year it took Langford five months to settle. Given Kurtz’s difficult defensive fit, if he was eaten up in the first sight of a major league broken ball, he probably wouldn’t be given the exact same leash.
Do you know that there are far worse than too many first bassmen? Choose the wrong one, so you’ll want to give as many opportunities as your roster can reasonably forgive.
