Athletics' Jacob Wilson passed by teammate in American League Rookie of the Year race
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, 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 Images
On 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.
Heading into Friday's play, Wilson has hit just .181 from June 9 on, dropping his average to .311, 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, Nick Kurtz, who is now a -325 favorite over Wilson (+250).
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.
AP
The 6-foot-5 slugger debuted in late April, and after a slow start, has been hitting about as well as anyone in baseball.
Since Kurtz really got going on May 20, he leads all of baseball with a 1.190 on-base plus slugging.
His 18 home runs over that period are tied for the fifth-most in the league, and his .327 batting average trails only Tyler Freeman, who has a .335 average since then.
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Overall, Kurtz is hitting .288/.360/.622 with 19 long balls in just 265 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.
Why Trust New York Post Betting
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.
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