Nicholas Mark Ahmed (born March 15, 1990) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

who is a free agent. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

, and Texas Rangers. He has won the

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual Fielding (baseball), fielding performances. It is awar ...

twice, in 2018 and 2019.

Early life

Nicholas Mark Ahmed was born on March 15, 1990, in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

. Ahmed attended East Longmeadow High School in

East Longmeadow, Massachusetts East Longmeadow is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, situated in the Pioneer Valley region of Western Massachusetts. It had a population of 16,430 at the 2020 census. East Longmeadow is southeast of downtown Springfiel ...

, where he played as a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

(posting a career record of 21–3), was a member of the

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is one of the oldest, largest, and most widely recognized cocurricular student organizations in American high schools, with 1.4 million members. The purpose of the NHS is to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to ...

, and also played

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

College career

He then enrolled at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

, where he majored in

sport management Sport management is the field of business dealing with sports and recreation. Sports management involves any combination of skills that correspond with planning, organizing, directing, controlling, budgeting, leading, or evaluating of any organiz ...

and played shortstop and pitcher for the

Connecticut Huskies baseball The UConn Huskies baseball team represents the University of Connecticut, in Storrs, Connecticut, in college baseball. The program is classified as NCAA Division I, and the team competes in the Big East Conference. The team is coached by Jim Pende ...

team. As a freshman, he batted .288 and .300 as a sophomore, and played for the

Bourne Braves The Bourne Braves are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Bourne, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Braves play their home games at Doran Park (ballpark) ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

during the summer of his 2010 sophomore year. As a junior, Ahmed hit .326.

Professional career

Atlanta Braves (2011–2012)

Minor leagues

The

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

drafted Ahmed in the second round, with the 85th overall selection, of the

2011 Major League Baseball draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the firs ...

, 85th overall. He spent his first professional season with the rookie–level

Danville Braves The Danville Braves were a Minor League Baseball team in Danville, Virginia. They were an Advanced Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League and were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have played home games at American Legion Post 3 ...

, hitting .262 across 59 games. Ahmed played in 130 games for the High–A

Lynchburg Hillcats The Lynchburg Hillcats are a Minor League Baseball team in Lynchburg, Virginia that plays in the Carolina League and is the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves from 2011 to 2014, the Cincinn ...

in 2012, batting .269/.337/.391 with six home runs, 49 RBI, and 40 stolen bases. He was named the fastest baserunner in

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

Arizona Diamondbacks (2013–2023)

On January 24, 2013, the Braves traded Ahmed,

Martín Prado Martín Manuel Prado Torcate (born October 27, 1983) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and Miami Marlins. During hi ...

Randall Delgado Randall Enrique Delgado (born February 9, 1990) is a Panamanian professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks, and in the Chinese Profess ...

, Zeke Spruill, and Brandon Drury to the

in exchange for

Justin Upton Justin Irvin Upton (born August 25, 1987) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. Nicknamed "J-Up", he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, Los Angel ...

and Chris Johnson. He spent the entirety of the season with the Double–A

Mobile BayBears The Mobile BayBears were a Minor League Baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The team, which played in the Southern League, served as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres (1997–2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2007–2 ...

, hitting .236/.288/.324 with four home runs, 46 RBI, and 26 stolen bases across 136 contests. Ahmed began the 2014 season with the Triple–A

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, w ...

, where he hit .312 in 104 games.

Major leagues

Ahmed was selected to the

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

and promoted to the Major Leagues for the first time on June 29, 2014. He collected his first Major League hit off of Odrisamer Despaigne of the

in his debut that same day and his first major league homer on July 31 off Stolmy Pimentel of the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

. In 25 games, he hit an even .200 in 70 at bats. Ahmed began the 2015 season as the Diamondbacks' starting shortstop. In 134 games, he hit .226 with nine home runs. Ahmed's 2016 season was cut short due to a right hip impingement, causing him to miss the last two months of the season. In 90 games, he had a .218 batting average. On June 27, 2017, his right hand was broken by a fastball, leading to a long layoff, and two months later his right wrist was fractured when he was hit by a pitch in a rehab appearance. As a result, he only appeared in 53 games during the 2017 season with a .251 batting average. Ahmed entered the 2018 season fully healthy and went on to finish the season with career bests offensively. In 153 games, Ahmed hit .234 with 16 home runs, 70 RBI and 33 doubles. He also had his best defensive season, leading National League shortstops with 21 defensive runs saved en route to his first career

. The following season, Ahmed continued his offensive resurgence from 2018, hitting a career high .254 along with career highs in home runs (19) and RBI (82) while also netting his second straight Gold Glove Award. Before the 2020 season, Ahmed signed a four-year contract with the Diamondbacks that guaranteed him $32.5 million. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Ahmed hit .266 with five home runs and 29 RBI in 57 games. He appeared in 129 games for the Diamondbacks in 2021, posting a slash of .221/.280/.339 with five home runs, 38 RBI, and seven stolen bases. Ahmed played in 17 games for Arizona in 2022, slashing .231/.259/.442 with three home runs and seven RBI. His season was cut short when he was placed on the 60-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation on June 8. In 2023, Ahmed became the first player in Diamondbacks history to play 10 seasons with the club. In 72 games for Arizona, he batted .212/.257/.303 with two home runs, 17 RBI, and five stolen bases. On September 6, due to his declining production and injury history, he was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

to make room for top prospect Jordan Lawlar. He was released by the Diamondbacks on September 9.

San Francisco Giants (2024)

On February 26, 2024, Ahmed signed a minor league contract with the

. On March 28, he had his contract selected after beating out

Marco Luciano Marco José Luciano (born September 10, 2001) is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He signed with the Giants as an international free agent in 2018, and made his MLB debut in ...

for the starting shortstop position in

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

. In 52 games for the Giants, he batted .232/.278/.303 with one home run and 15 RBI. Ahmed was designated for assignment by San Francisco on July 9 and released the following day.

Los Angeles Dodgers (2024)

On July 24, 2024, Ahmed signed a major league contract with the

, as a replacement for injured shortstop Miguel Rojas in the lineup. In 17 games for Los Angeles, he hit .229 with one home run and two RBI. The Dodgers designated him for assignment on August 19. He cleared waivers, and elected free agency in lieu of an outright assignment on August 22.

San Diego Padres (2024)

On September 1, 2024, Ahmed signed a minor league contract with the

. On September 22, the Padres selected Ahmed's contract, adding him to their active roster. In 2 games for the team, he went 1-for-7 (.143).

Texas Rangers (2025)

On February 4, 2025, Ahmed signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. He was released by the Rangers prior to the start of the season on March 22. On April 9, Ahmed re-signed with the Rangers organization on a new minor league contract. On April 23, Texas selected Ahmed's contract, adding him to their active roster. In five games for the Rangers, he went 0-for-9 with one stolen base and one walk. Ahmed was designated for assignment following the promotion of

Blaine Crim Linton Blaine Crim (born June 17, 1997) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2025. Amateur career Crim attended St. Paul's Episcopal School in Mobil ...

on May 2. He cleared waivers and elected free agency on May 4.

Personal life

Ahmed is married to Amanda (Coughlin) Ahmed. They have two sons and a daughter. Ahmed is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

. Ahmed has a younger brother, Michael, who played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Holy Cross Crusaders The Holy Cross Crusaders are the athletic teams representing the College of the Holy Cross. They compete in NCAA Division I, primarily as members of the Patriot League. In ice hockey, a sport not sponsored by the Patriot League for either sex, th ...

and was selected in the 20th round (604th overall) of the

2013 Major League Baseball Draft The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of ...

by the

. His uncle, Raphael Cerrato, is the head baseball coach at the

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of Rhode Island. The univer ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmed, Nick 1990 births Living people Arizona Diamondbacks players Arizona League Diamondbacks players Baseball players from Springfield, Massachusetts Bourne Braves players Christians from Massachusetts Danville Braves players Gold Glove Award winners Los Angeles Dodgers players Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball shortstops Mobile BayBears players People from East Longmeadow, Massachusetts Phoenix Desert Dogs players Reno Aces players Sacramento River Cats players Salt River Rafters players San Diego Padres players San Francisco Giants players Texas Rangers players UConn Huskies baseball players