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Jesse Rogers
LAS VEGAS — Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz was the unanimous choice for the American League Rookie of the Year award, and Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin took home the honors in the National League, Major League Baseball announced Monday night.
Kurtz, 22, earned 30 first-place votes after hitting .290 with 36 home runs and 86 RBIs. His 1.002 OPS ranked third in baseball behind Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, though he fell short of qualifying for the batting title because he was called up in late April. Despite the later start, Kurtz also ranked 25th (4.6) in fWAR.
Kurtz’s signature game came against the Houston Astros on July 25 when he hit four home runs, becoming only the 20th player all time to achieve the feat. Later in the season, he had a two-homer game, also against the Astros. All told, he finished first among rookies in home runs and RBIs, second in on-base percentage and third in hits.
“It’s a great ending to the first year,” Kurtz said in an interview with MLB Network. “I’m going to use this, and keep on grinding, and come out better next year.”
Kurtz, the 14th unanimous winner in AL history, finished ahead of teammate Jacob Wilson, who earned 23 second-place votes, while Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony finished third.
“It showed that every person felt the same way,” Kurtz said of the unanimous selection. “It was really cool to see 30 votes for me. It was pretty remarkable. I’m happy about that and proud of it.”
Kurtz and Wilson are the first teammates to finish first and second in AL Rookie of the Year voting since Alvin Davis and Mark Langston did so with the Seattle Mariners in 1984.
“It was something we wanted to do together,” Kurtz said of the 1-2 finish on a media conference call after the announcement. “It shows the kind of teammates that we are, and how we strive to make each other better.”
Twelve other American Leaguers received votes, including Kansas City Royals pitcher Noah Cameron and Chicago White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
“It’s about getting comfortable and not just as a player, but being someone in the big leagues,” Kurtz said of his rookie season. “It comes with a lot of different stuff, and you have to learn about yourself and the game.”
Baldwin, 24, finished ahead of Chicago Cubs starter Cade Horton and Milwaukee Brewers infielder Caleb Durbin for the honor. He received 21 first-place votes to nine for Horton. Baldwin hit .274 with 19 home runs, a .341 on-base percentage and 80 RBIs. He appeared in 124 games for the Braves, ranking first in OPS among qualified rookie catchers. Horton had a 1.03 second-half ERA, but it wasn’t enough to overtake Baldwin, who was on the Braves’ roster the entire season.
“I had no idea. You see some of the polls and stuff, and it was looking more like Horton. Then, I had buddies that were telling me I was going to win,” Baldwin said on his conference call. “I was going into it with an open mind, realizing how cool it was to be a finalist for it.”
Ten other National Leaguers received votes, including Brewers outfielder Isaac Collins, who finished in fourth, and Washington Nationals outfielder Daylen Lile, who finished in fifth.
Under rules implemented in the current CBA, Kurtz receives a full year of service time for winning the award, although the A’s will not receive an extra draft pick as he wasn’t on the major league roster for at least 172 days. The Braves will earn a draft pick because of Baldwin’s win.