As the A’s began compiling their board for the 2024 MLB Draft in the aftermath of landing the No. 4 pick last winter, Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz topped their list.

While there was no clear-cut consensus top player among Draft experts in this year’s amateur class, the A’s quickly fell in love with Kurtz’s advanced hitting approach. The 6-foot-5 slugger’s combination of an advanced hitting approach and strong defense even led to some within the organization drawing parallels to another homegrown A’s first baseman who went on to stardom.

“In a lot of ways, he reminds us of Matt Olson,” A’s scouting director Eric Kubota said of Kurtz. “Nick was the first person on our list in January when we met. He was the No. 1 pick on our board then, and he still was No. 1 on our board now.”

Holding their highest Draft pick since 1998 on Sunday, the A’s drafted Kurtz with the fourth overall selection. He is the highest-drafted first baseman since University of California first baseman Andrew Vaughn went third overall to the White Sox in 2019.

Oakland also drafted two Louisiana State players to round out Day 1, third baseman Tommy White with the 40th pick (Round 2) and left-hander Gage Jump with the 73rd pick (Competitive Balance Round B).

Kurtz, MLB Pipeline's No. 7 overall Draft prospect, has a powerful lefty bat that has drawn high praise for his ability to drive the ball to all fields. But he also has an excellent eye -- he led college baseball with 78 walks -- as well as the patience to wait for pitches in his wheelhouse.

Kurtz’s eye and strong bat-to-ball skills led to a 1.294 OPS this season, which included the highest on-base percentage (.531) of his college career. His 22 homers in 2024 included a stretch with at least one long ball in seven straight games.

• Get to know Nick Kurtz

“I’m a patient hitter,” Kurtz said on Sunday evening. “I swing at the right pitches. That’s one thing I’m most proud of. I walk a whole lot more than I strike out, and when I don’t, I can hit for power to all fields. Those are the two things I do best. I’m patient and have good discipline at the plate. When I do get the pitch I’m looking for, I don’t miss it. My goal every time I step up to the plate is to be on that pitch. If I get it, make sure they pay for it.”

The elite plate discipline is something Kurtz traces back to his early days at Wake Forest. Before he developed into a prolific middle-of-the-order power hitter, Kurtz was a freshman who mostly batted leadoff and was just trying to earn playing time, which he soon realized would come by trying to get on base however he could.

“I hate striking out,” Kurtz said. “I hate it. I take it really personally when I do strike out. My goal was always not to strike out. Over the years, I’ve had to sacrifice some of that for more home runs and more power. I think that’s kind of the way baseball is going. At the same time, I feel like I should always be around a one-to-one [strikeout-to-walk] ratio, and I was a little better than that in college.”

Kurtz, a Golden Spikes finalist, hits lefties and righties nearly equally well, and he has no obvious weaknesses for pitchers to exploit, having already drawn comparisons to Hall of Famer Jim Thome.

• Wake Forest hitting machine and No. 4 pick Kurtz draws huge comps

Having grown up a big Phillies fan in Lancaster, Pa., Kurtz had a different Phillies legend in mind when discussing players who influenced his game.

“I love watching Bryce Harper,” Kurtz said. “I hated him when he first got in the league with the Nationals. Then, when he came over to Philly, it was awesome. It’s not so much what he does at the plate, but just the way he plays the game. The energy, you see it in his face every time he plays. That’s how it should be. It’s a kid’s game. Show the energy. Have fun. Have a great time. … I feel like we’ve lost some of that, so I love watching him.”

Tom Walter, head coach at Wake Forest since 2010, called Kurtz “the best hitter I’ve ever coached.” In the clubhouse, Kurtz has earned a reputation as a natural leader who commands the respect of teammates. Those intangibles were evident to the A’s early in the scouting process throughout the year and later during pre-Draft meetings.

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“He was an incredible kid,” Kubota said. “Extremely advanced in his knowledge about hitting and what he’s trying to accomplish at the plate. Very mature. Very excited. … We’ve done a lot of background work, and Nick checks all the boxes for us.”