Nicholas Mark Ahmed (born March 15, 1990) is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Texas Rangers. He won the Gold Glove Award twice, in 2018 and 2019.
Ahmed began the 2014 season with the Triple–A Reno Aces, where he hit .312 in 104 games.
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 Gold Glove Award. 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 to make room for top prospect Jordan Lawlar. He was released by the Diamondbacks on September 9.
Ahmed announced his retirement from professional baseball on July 24, 2025.
Ahmed has a younger brother, Michael, who played college baseball for the Holy Cross Crusaders and was selected in the 20th round (604th overall) of the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. His uncle, Raphael Cerrato, is the head baseball coach at the University of Rhode Island.
Major leagues
San Francisco Giants (2024)
Los Angeles Dodgers (2024)
San Diego Padres (2024)
/ref> 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)
Personal life
See also
External links
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