Slugging 1B Nick Kurtz looks to build on AL Rookie of the Year award in second season with Athletics‎

Aside from towering over most of his Athletics teammates at 6-foot-5, Nick Kurtz blends in at his locker in the middle of the clubhouse — and that's just the way he prefers it. Kurtz stuck with his usual offseason routine of returning home to North Carolina, where he likes to “chill," play video games and watch movies when he's not busy training. A's manager Mark Kotsay will consider Kurtz for the leadoff spot — where he was hitting Sunday — to maximize the slugger's at-bats.