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The American League Rookie of the Year award is no longer Jacob Wilson’s to win.
Just a month ago, the Athletics’ rookie shortstop seemed like a shoo-in for the award, with BetMGM Sportsbook pegging him as a -1000 favorite.
Now, after a tough month at the plate and a monster breakout from a fellow first-year teammate in Nick Kurtz — including a historic game Friday night — Wilson finds himself trying to hang in the race.
Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) throws the ball to first base for an out during the ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Sutter Health Park. Sergio Estrada-Imagn ImagesOn June 8, Wilson appeared unstoppable, hitting .372, which trailed only Aaron Judge at the time, through the first two-plus months of the season after going 2-for-4 against the Orioles.
That number has been in freefall ever since.
Wilson is hitting .185 since June 9, dropping his average to .312, essentially taking him out of the batting title race and surrendering his Rookie of the Year award lead in the process.
Over that same period, the A’s have enjoyed the rise of another rookie star, Kurtz, who is now a -2000 favorite over Wilson (+800) after a historic performance Friday night against Houston.
Athletics’ Nick Kurtz runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays Friday, July 11, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. APKurtz became the first rookie in baseball history to hit four home runs in a game, going 6-for-6 with six runs scored and eight RBIs.
His 19 total bases tied Shawn Green’s 2002 single-game record, cementing his place as the massive AL Rookie of the Year favorite.
The 6-foot-5 slugger debuted in late April, and after a slow start, has been hitting about as well as anyone in baseball.
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Since Kurtz really got going on May 20, he leads all of baseball with a 1.297 on-base plus slugging.
His 22 home runs over that period are tied for the second-most in the league and his .352 batting average tops all hitters with at least 180 plate appearances since then.
Overall, Kurtz is hitting .305/.374/.686 with 23 long balls in just 271 plate appearances.
Let the Wilson-Kurtz AL Rookie of the Year race be a lesson – no award is decided in the first half of a season, no matter how locked up it appears.
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Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
