- Full name Nicholas Jeffrey Kurtz
- Born 03/11/2003 in Lancaster, PA
- Profile Ht.: 6'6" / Wt.: 230 / Bats: L / Throws: L
- School Baylor
Top Rankings
Draft Prospects
-
School: Wake Forest Committed: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.4
One of the most well-rounded offensive players in the 2024 class, Kurtz is a towering, 6-foot-5, lefthanded hitting first baseman who has been a lethal middle-of-the-order presence in Wake Forest’s lineup since the day he stepped on campus. He went from 15 home runs as a freshman to 24 in his sophomore season, and is a career .345/.499/.708 hitter with the Demon Deacons, while posting a 16.8% strikeout rate and 21.2% walk rate. Kurtz has long levers, but pairs advanced bat-to-ball skills with a surprisingly compact swing and a savvy batting eye. His swing decisions lead infrequent chases out of the zone, though the length of his levers and his bat speed allows him to to get the barrel to all parts of the zone—making him tough to beat. He has plus raw power and has homered to all fields throughout his college career, and in the 2023 season he posted a strong 108.9-mph 90th percentile exit velocity. Kurtz is a strong defender at first base and has a chance for plus defensive upside at the position, thanks to impressive body control and better athleticism than is typical for the position. He is an average runner underway and because of that teams might be inclined to try him in a corner outfield position at the next level.
