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Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics: Kurtz hit his 36th home run on the final game of the season. Kurtz's 36 home runs is tied for the eighth-most by an MLB rookie, but it also set another record. Kurtz's 36 homers are the most ever by a player in the year after he was drafted. Kurtz broke Bob Horner's 1979 record of 33 homers. In Horner's case, it wasn't even his rookie year, as he hit 23 homers in 1978 when he jumped straight from the draft to the major leagues. Kurtz ended up tied for 10th in the majors in home runs. Kurtz's .619 slugging percentage is also the most ever by a player in the year after his draft season (minimum 100 at-bats).

Carter Jensen, C, Royals: Jensen's first taste of the major leagues was very successful. Jensen homered and went 3-for-5 on Sunday. It was his third home run in 20 MLB games, but maybe more importantly, he also raised his final batting average to an even .300, as he went 18-for-60. His final slash line is a robust .300/.391/.550. Jensen's emergence meant the Royals were comfortable trading Freddy Fermin to the Padres in a deal that brought back pitching help. Jensen had three three-hit games over the past two weeks while bouncing between catcher and DH.

Shane Smith, RHP, White Sox: Smith has proven to be one of the best Rule 5 picks of the 21st century. He finished off his rookie season on Sunday by holding the Nationals to one hit in six scoreless innings. Smith carried a perfect game into the sixth. Brady House broke it up by singling to lead off the inning, but Smith then induced a Jacob Young double play and struck out James Wood. He faced the minimum over his six innings. Smith finished his season 7-8, 3.81 in 29 starts and 146.1 innings. He held opponents to a .216 average. As good as Smith was, the White Sox got similar production in the bullpen from a Rule 5 pick. Mike Vasil went 5-3, 2.50 in 101 innings (47 appearances, three starts).

Chase Burns, RHP, Reds: Thanks in part to the Mets' stunning collapse, the 83-win Reds now face the Dodgers in the NL wild card hoping to win a postseason series for the first time in 20 years. If they choose to use him, manager Terry Francona looks to have quite an intriguing option out of the bullpen as they try to do that. Righthander Chase Burns struck out four batters over 1.2 innings on Sunday, averaging 99.4 mph on his fastball and getting four whiffs on six swings with his low-90s slider. It was Burns' second consecutive scoreless outing as he settles into the bullpen, where he's pitched since returning in early September from a right flexor strain. Cincinnati has used him cautiously, but it's not hard to see them leaning on his dynamic fastball-slider combination in a key moment if needed.

Mick Abel, RHP, Twins: This is not a season to remember for the Twins, but after trading away almost the entire bullpen at the trade deadline, the Twins best hope is to show some signs of life for 2026 and beyond. Abel, acquired from the Phillies in the Jhoan Duran trade, did that on Saturday. Abel held his old organization to just three hits in six scoreless innings. He struck out nine while walking only one. Abel touched 98.9 mph while filling the strike zone (53 strikes in 73 pitches). He allowed just four hits while striking out 15 in 10 innings in his two starts with the Twins this month.

Editor’s Picks

MiLB Hitters With Traits To Target: There are a few different ways that a hitter can be considered underrated as a prospect.

In some cases, projection models like RoboScout forecast stronger future production than industry consensus or traditional rankings may suggest. Players such as Reds infielder Sal Stewart and Royals catcher Carter Jensen fit this mold over the past two years, consistently ranking as RoboScout favorites well before broader lists caught on, providing an opportunity to get ahead of the industry and identify some hidden gems.

Another category of underrated prospect is one whose underlying data indicates more promise than surface-level performance shows. Braves catcher Drake Baldwin, for example, had excellent underlying Statcast hitting data that didn’t seem to actualize in minor league games. Those who were leery of taking the plunge on him, because the surface stats weren’t all that compelling, could have invested with confidence had they looked at the underlying metrics.

Let’s identify a few hitters that fit either of those profiles below for Baseball America subscribers. Read more…

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

• Pirates RHP Bubba Chandler ended the season a high note. Chandler allowed just two runs over his final 16.2 innings with 19 strikeouts. More importantly? He walked zero batters over that stretch, an encouraging sign entering the offseason after he struggled with free passes in Triple-A.

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