Three players to watch during Athletics spring training

Nick Kurtz, first base

2024 MiLB stats: .368/.520/.763 with four home runs and 13 RBI in 12 games played

Selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Wake Forest, Kurtz was one of the best hitters in college baseball posting a .333/.510/.725 slash line with 61 home runs and 182 RBI in 164 games played with the Demon Deacons.

He carried that success over to his short stint in the minors before the end of the 2024 season. In 12 games, the 21-year-old first baseman hit .368 with four home runs and 13 RBI and also had a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League. 

While there is no major rush to get Kurtz to the majors with former top prospect Tyler Soderstrom ahead of him, if he continues to produce at the pace he's shown so far, an MLB debut before the end of the 2025 season is not out of the question. 

Jeffrey Springs, pitcher

2024 MLB stats: 2-2, 3.27 ERA, 1.364 WHIP with 37 strikeouts over 33 innings pitched

A breakout player in 2022 with the Tampa Bay Rays going 9-5 with a 2.46 ERA, 1.071 WHIP and 144 strikeouts over 135.1 innings pitched, Springs showed top-of-the-rotation potential before injuries derailed both the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Acquired by the Athletics this offseason, Springs is looking to prove that the injuries are past him.

Having pitched a total of 49 innings since the 2022 season, Springs will likely slot into one of the top three spots in the Athletics rotation alongside RHP Luis Severino and LHP JP Sears.

Trading for Springs was an underrated move made by the Athletics this offseason, and it could play huge dividends down the road. 

Luis Severino, pitcher

2024 MLB stats: 11-7, 3.91 ERA, 1.242 WHIP and 161 strikeouts over 182 innings pitched

Signed to the largest free-agent contract in Athletics franchise history this offseason, Severino is going to have some lofty expectations after receiving what some see as an overpay for the right-hander.

Once expected to be a mainstay in the New York Yankees rotation, Severino signed with the New York Mets last offseason and posted a serviceable 3.91 ERA over 182 innings pitched. These aren't quite the numbers you would expect for a guy making $20M this upcoming season.

While he has shown signs of being a great pitcher, the two-time All-Star will have pressure on him to perform in 2025.