There were tons of players who played above expectation this season, but maybe not as much as Nick Kurtz did. The Athletics' slugger went absolutely nuclear during his first season in Major League Baseball.
He made his debut in April, less than a year after getting drafted, and was a key contributor for the A's. He went on to play in 117 games, hitting.290/.383/.619 with 36 home runs and 86 runs batted in.
Kurtz made headlines when he became a nuisance to the Houston Astros in late July. He went on to hit four home runs during that game, being one of just 21 players to ever achieve that kind of success in a single game.
Athletics' Nick Kurtz takes home Silver Slugger Award after impressive rookie season
Nick Kurtz has already won a few awards since the season ended. He was named the AllSportsPeople' AL Rookie of the Year, and was named Baseball Digest's AL Rookie of the Year.
Now, he can add another award to his closet. On Friday, it was announced that he had won an AL Silver Slugger Award, via Robert Murray.
Kurtz joins an elite class of players who have taken home the award during their rookie season. Most notably, players like Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, and Ichiro Suzuki have accomplished this. Most recently, Jackson Merrill did it last season.
It will be interesting to see how Kurtz looks next season. Many players can take a bit of a step backward after being so successful during their first season. Hopefully, Kurtz can stay away from the sophomore slump.
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