Astros may have just found their newest nemesis and he's only a rookie

For the second time in a week, Athletics' slugger Nick Kurtz walked off the Houston Astros in the ninth inning. After Kurtz's disrespectful bat flip that caught the ire of the Astros fanbase earlier this week, the rookie clubbed another game-winner on Thursday night and announced himself as Houston's newest nemesis.

After watching Kurtz take Bryan Abreu deep on Monday night, Josh Hader became the rookie's latest victim. According Sarah Langs, Kurtz is just the second player in the last 50 seasons with two walk-off home runs in the same calendar month at age 22 or younger. The other player is Hall of Famer Eddie Murray.

The Astros were riding high coming into Oakla...err, Sacramento. The Athletics, however, matched the Astros intensity during the series and split the four games with Houston. The Astros now head out to Orange County to do battle against the Los Angeles Angels. While Angels' outfielder Mike Trout (when healthy) has haunted the Astros for over a decade, Kurtz may be the heir apparent and one of Houston's biggest rivals heading into the future.

A's rookie slugger Nick Kurtz may be the Astros' newest nemesis

Kurtz is barely old enough to shave, and is already wreaking havoc on Houston's pitching staff. During the four-game set, Kurtz went 6-for-16 with two doubles and three home runs. That's right, five of his six knocks went for extra bases.

On the season, Kurtz is hitting .252/.308/.511 with a 124 wRC+. He has nine home runs and 23 RBI during his first 146 plate appearances, and will quickly enter the Rookie of the Year conversation if he keeps up that pace.

Kurtz was the A's first-round draft pick last summer. After a stellar career at Wake Forest, Kurtz was selected with the fourth-overall pick and signed for $7 million. Kurtz played in just 12 minor league games in 2024, and then needed just 21 games this season to prove that he was ready for the big leagues.

There's some swing and miss in his game to be sure, as evidenced by Kurtz's 31.5% strikeout rate. But if he gets that under control, the A's infielder is going to be a thorn in the Astros' side for years to come.

Houston won't see Kurtz again until after the All-Star break — the A's visit Daikin Park for a four-game series beginning on July 24 — and he may very well be a household name by then. At the moment, the A's are no threat to Houston's AL West dominance, but if Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, Lawrence Butler, and Brent Rooker continue to develop, the Astros may be looking at their next big rival.

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