Nick

Kurtz

Kurtz is most deserving. He ranks first in the majors with 66 RBI and second in the AL with a .949 OPS. A’s Communications notes that, with Shea Lanegeliers catching, this will be the first time the franchise has had two All-Star starters since Rickey and David Henderson in 1991.

Kurtz led off the home half of the first inning with a single but wound up getting stranded at third. He then got the A’s on the board with his majestic 457-foot (112.9-mph EV) two-run shot off of Tyler Phillips in the third inning. Kurtz also walked in the contest. The 23-year-old slugger has been a revelation this season, slashing a monstrous .283/.425/.527 with 20 long balls and 66 RBI.

The A’s will get their superstar first baseman a breather with left-hander Sam Aldegheri on the slab for the Angels. Expect him to make an appearance off the bench should a key late-game situation arise. Joey Meneses will start in his place at first base and will bat second for the A’s on Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles.

Kurtz also had a 370-foot flyout to left that would have been a homer in 16 ballparks, according to Statcast. He’s hitting .261/.393/.602 with nine homers this month, and though he’s not a finalist in the AL All-Star balloting in first base, it would be quite the shocker if he doesn’t represent the A’s next month.

Kurtz hit his 19th home run of the season with a seventh-inning blast that put the Athletics up by three runs. The big first baseman has enjoyed a tremendous June, going 21-for-71 (.296) with nine home runs and 20 RBI. His slow first two weeks of the season are a long way in the rearview mirror.

The Athletics trailed this game 11-4 at one point, but they scored two runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth — along with one in the sixth — to tie it up. With the bases loaded, Kurtz laid off a Samy Natara Jr. offering to give the A’s the walk-off win. Kurtz has driven in 58 runs to go with an outstanding slash of .287/.436/.544 with just five games left for the A’s until the halfway point.

Kurtz had two homers for the fifth time and five RBI for the third time in his young career. He’s first in the majors with 57 RBI, 67 walks and a .443 OBP this season. He’s tied for fourth with 51 runs scored and tied for ninth with 18 homers. His OPS is currently 1.006, which is practically a match to his 1.002 mark as the AL Rookie of the Year last season.

Kurtz homered in the sixth and 10th innings before the A’s eventually fell in 12. The walk was an intentional pass in the final inning of the contest. Kurtz now has 14 homers and is tied for third in the majors with 48 RBI. He’s first with a .434 OBP ahead of Yordan Alvarez at .427 and Shohei Ohtani at .417.

Kurtz is up to 12 homers and seven steals to go along with a .276 average and a .923 OPS. His walk rate has exploded in his sophomore campaign, fueling the highest OBP in MLB so far this season. The absence of a high homer total is the only complaint fantasy managers might have, but opposing arms have seemingly decided to pitch around him any chance they get. Kurtz and the Athletics will return to hitter-friendly Sacramento for a 13-game homestand beginning Monday.

Kurtz has now played in half as many games this year (59) as he did as a rookie (117). He’s less than one-third of the way to last year’s home run total of 36, but his .289 and .290 batting averages are a match, and he leads the majors with a .440 OBP. Last year, he finished at .383.