Remembering Nick Ahmed: Two-Time Gold Glove Winner and D-backs Defensive Anchor Retires

The best shortstop in Diamondbacks history announced his retirement on Thursday. Nick Ahmed, who spent 10 seasons in Arizona and won two Gold Glove awards, will be moving on to the next stage of his career.

The D-backs originally acquired Ahmed in a seven-player deal that included Brandon Drury, Zeke Spruill, Martin Prado, and Randall Delgado. The trade made be better known as the one that Arizona gave up on their former No. 1 overall pick and face of the franchise, Justin Upton. Of the seven players dealt, Ahmed ended up being the best player going to the desert.

In his time with the D-backs, Ahmed slashed .234/.288/.376 with 70 home runs. While those aren’t strong batting numbers (75 OPS+), his glove more than made up for the value lost to the bat. Overall, he was worth 11.2 bWAR in 888 games played. At the time of his retirement, he ranks 6th all-time in franchise history in games played.

One interesting tidbit that people might not be aware of is Ahmed’s connection to one of the rarest baseball accomplishments. On September 14, 2019, he was the only baserunner in a D-backs 1-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Ahmed doubled, advanced to third on an error, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jarrod Dyson.

It is one of four games in MLB history in which a team sent the minimum 25 batters to the plate in a victory, and the most recent occurrence. However, it’s the only time in major league history where a team gave up just one baserunner and lost 1-0. It was one of those games I can look back on six years later and say I was in attendance (had seats in Section 131) for a once-in-a-lifetime type game.

Ironically, the play would involve three future Diamondbacks (Josh VanMeter, Eugenio Suárez, and Anthony DeSclafani), two of whom are on the current club.

His best three seasons came in 2018-2020, where he put up 9.3 bWAR in 368 games. He won back-to-back Gold Gloves (2018 and 2019), posted a 90 OPS+, and was worth an astonishing 43 runs above average in 3105 innings at shortstop according to Baseball Reference. That is the highest total of any major league shortstop in that period.

Because of that strong production, Ahmed was rewarded with a four-year extension ahead of the 2020 season. Things didn’t work out afterward, as a nagging shoulder injury loomed over his time spent under that extension. It was something he didn’t address until the 2022 season.

Ultimately, he was designated for assignment and released in September 2023. Sharing the position with now-everyday starter Geraldo Perdomo, Ahmed was asked to hit primarily against lefties that season. It made sense since he was a .271/.324/.462 hitter (104 wRC+) when he held the platoon advantage in his career through 2022.

Atypical of his career to that point, he struggled to a .155/.197/.204 slash. His struggles reached a head when he struck out three times to Kyle Freeland in a one-run loss to the Colorado Rockies on September 5, 2023. One of those strikeouts came with the bases loaded. He was designated after the game to make room for top prospect Jordan Lawlar.

It’s a painful reminder that baseball is still a very tough business, even for some of the most accomplished players in the franchise’s young history. Ahmed talked to Bob Nightengale about that last year.

After leaving Arizona, Ahmed spent time with the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Texas Rangers before deciding to hang them up. He finished with more than 10 years of service time.

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D-backs Under Review is Michael McDermott’s publication for deep analysis dives, game coverage, prospect coverage, and breaking down the biggest news topics involving the Arizona Diamondbacks. Michael has been writing about the D-backs since the 2015 season, with stops at AZ Snake Pit, Diamondbacks On SI, Venom Strikes, and Burn City Sports. He has covered over 40 MLB games at Chase Field and the Arizona Fall League.