2024 review: Nick Ahmed

Yesterday at 02:55 PM

Longtime D-back shortstop added three more NL West teams to his résumé, including a 4-week stop with the Dodgers in July and August.

Nick Ahmed made a name for himself for a decade as the Diamondbacks shortstop, then took a tour around the National League West in 2024. That included a short stop with the Dodgers, where he filled in for a very specific defensive need during a precarious time in the season.

Filling shortstop has been a scramble for two seasons for the Dodgers. Mookie Betts, amazingly, made the switch to the position after a decade of plus-defense in the outfield, but he missed eight weeks after getting hit by a pitch on the hand. Miguel Rojas filled in nicely, but suffered forearm inflammation in July.

Kiké Hernández might have been able to fill in at shortstop, except he was essentially the everyday third baseman while Max Muncy missed three months with an oblique strain. Chris Taylor has experience at the position, but he was nursing a left groin strain.

The Dodgers needed to fill innings, and the veteran Ahmed was just released by the Giants two weeks earlier. He signed with Los Angeles on July 24, in the rare situation of a player getting picked up off the figurative scrap heap, but then immediately playing every day.

Ahmed started his first nine games with the Dodgers and 11 of his first 12, until Rojas was activated off the injured list in early August.

He lasted nearly four weeks on the roster, and didn't hit much, with a 50 wRC+ with the Dodgers and a 59 wRC+ on the season. But he could still field the position. Miguel Rojas led the Dodgers with eight runs prevented at the position per Baseball Savant, with 67 starts. Ahmed was second with three runs prevented, despite starting only 14 times. Betts, Hernández, and Tommy Edman combined for 80 starts at shortstop and five runs below average by runs prevented.

It was Edman's activation from the injured list on August 19, along with Rojas, Hernández, Muncy, and Taylor all active by then, that meant the end of Ahmed's time with the Dodgers.

After clearing waivers and electing free agency, Ahmed signed a minor league deal with the Padres on August 31, then was activated during the final week of the regular season. Just like that, Ahmed has now played for four of the five teams in the National League West, just one team shy of joining the exclusive Steve Finley/Matt Herges club.

2024 particulars

Age: 34

Stats: 17 games, 11 for 48, HR, 2 RBI, .229/.245/.292 with Dodgers

Salary: pro-rated share of the minimum salary of $740,000

Game of the year

Ahmed's activation with the Dodgers came during the final two games of a series against the Giants, the team that cut him lose two weeks prior. On July 25, Ahmed stepped to the plate in a tie game in the eighth inning in a tie game, and he took Tyler Rogers deep for what served as the game-winning home run.

With Ahmed batting ninth, Shohei Ohtani batted next and hit the very next pitch from Rogers out as well to pad the Dodgers lead and also make for a very fun back-to-back home run combo.

Roster status

Ahmed is a free agent.