The origin story of Kurtz's 'Big Amish' nickname

WEST SACRAMENTO – The Big Amish has taken over the baseball world. Heck, there’s already a Big Amish T-shirt that has been produced and was distributed to the lockers of several players inside the Athletics clubhouse at Sutter Health Park on Monday afternoon.

Big Amish, of course, is Nick Kurtz, the A’s rookie sensation who put on the performance of a lifetime on Friday night in Houston, etching his name in baseball history by going 6-for-6 with four home runs.

You’ve seen the nickname in articles. You’ve heard A’s broadcaster Dallas Braden yell it frequently on TV. But where exactly did that nickname come from?

The man responsible for Kurtz’s moniker is Max Schuemann.

The A’s super utility player recalled the first time he uttered the nickname. It was back in February during Spring Training in Arizona. Manager Mark Kotsay rounded up all the players who were taking part in their first big league camp inside the A’s clubhouse at Hohokam Stadium and had each newbie tell a story in front of the entire team.

When it came Kurtz’s time to share, he stood in the middle of the clubhouse and told a story about taking an Amish tour when he was in middle school on a farm near his hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where a large Amish population has existed for centuries.

Kurtz’s speech immediately sparked an idea in Schuemann’s head for a nickname.

“He had mentioned doing something with some local Amish people,” Schuemann said. “I was just like, ‘Well, I mean, he’s big, and he just talked about the Amish community.’”

Originally, Schuemann and his teammates were mispronouncing the nickname as ‘Aye-mish’ instead of ‘Ah-mish’.

“One of my best friends growing up says ‘Ay-mish’,” Schuemann said. “Just because, like, I don’t know, the ‘A’ is the big letter in the word. So, I just said “Big Aye-mish” and we’ve been calling him ‘Big Aye-mish.’ I know the correct way to say it is ‘Ah-mish’, but that’s kind of how it started.”

Schuemann recalled Kurtz initially not being a huge fan of the nickname.

“He kind of just rolled his eyes at first,” Schuemann said. “I don’t know if he’s been called that before, but he said that someone gave him a nickname about being around Amish people. So, that wasn’t the first exact time.”

Over time, however, Kurtz began to come around to the nickname, which is pretty much how all of his A’s teammates refer to him these days.

“Max Schuemann came up with it and [Lawrence Butler] has pretty much run with it,” Kurtz said with a laugh. “I think it’s funny. I lean into it, for sure. I’m proud to represent.”

Kurtz has fully embraced it. Shortly after his arrival to the Majors in April, Kurtz hit a double for the A’s, stood on second base and saw then-A’s reliever T.J. McFarland twirling his hands in a circular motion, an ode to the Amish tradition of churning butter. Now, Kurtz “churns butter” after every extra-base hit, whether it be standing on second or third or rounding the bases during a home run.

“That’s kind of how I leaned into it,” Kurtz said. “I feel like that’s the best way to do it when you get nicknamed and you don’t know if you really like it or not. Just go all in on it and make it a thing to, hopefully, get the boys going a little bit.”

Kurtz’s profile is quickly growing. That’s just how it goes when you do things on a baseball field that have only previously been done by legends of the game. With such greatness, Schuemann said it’s only fitting that the 22-year-old first baseman has some type of nickname.

“He’s kind of creating his own brand,” Schuemann said. “It has been really fun to watch. The kid is obviously incredible. … It’s been pretty fun to have him in the lineup.

“My job is just to get on base for him. Obviously, we have guys like [Brent Rooker] and [Butler], who I think can definitely be top-10 hitters in the league. Adding Big Amish to that group is just freaking special.”