Diamondbacks 2023 Player Reviews: Nick Ahmed

The stalwart franchise veteran saw his time with the Diamondbacks come to an end in 2023.

This article is part of a series of player reviews for the 2023 Arizona Diamondbacks. It was a surprising and marvelous year for the team as they won 84 games to make the postseason. They advanced all the way to Game Five of the World Series before bowing out to the Texas Rangers. There are 54 players in all that had at least one at-bat or pitched at least one inning for the team this past season. They are being presented in reverse order of their aWAR (average WAR-Wins Above Replacement) produced, which is the average of Baseball Reference and Fangraphs WAR. These are their season stories.

Nick Ahmed 2023 stats and career stats, all of which came with the Arizona Diamondbacks / Jake Oliver

Nick Ahmed spent a decade in the Sedona Red and it came to an end in 2023. While here, he accomplished many feats and became one of the best shortstops that the Arizona Diamondbacks ever had. In January 2013, he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the large Justin Upton trade. He was acquired with Brandon Drury, Martin Prado, Zeke Spruill, and Randall Delgado for Upton and Chris Johnson. He made his debut in 2014, on June 29th. From that time until September 9th, 2023, he was in the Sedona Red representing the D-backs.

It was always likely that his time with the Diamondbacks would come to an end this season. He was reaching the end of his contract and the D-backs had Jordan Lawlar and Geraldo Perdomo ready to replace him. During the 2023 season, he got into 72 games and had just a 53 OPS+. He only had 14 extra-base hits including two home runs and did steal five bases. But, he just wasn't performing like he had in the past. It was by far his worst season since 2019. The bat just couldn't support his slipping glove. Nor could the great glove support his bat.

Baseball Savant has his arm strength in the 12th percentile, a bad showing compared to the old days. However, his range with his glove was still in the 91st percentile showcasing that his glove was still elite. He still was a valuable defender, despite the arm woes. His glove was worth 0.4 dWAR.

His final game came on September 5th. He went 0-3 with a strikeout. He ended his D-backs tenure with a 1-for-22 skid. A slump that no one wanted to see him endure. Still, Ahmed was an iconic Diamondbacks player. No D-backs fan will forget his time in the desert. It's just unfortunate that he endured such a rough season in his final year with the team. He was designated for assignment to make room for star prospect Jordan Lawlar who wound up struggling too. Ahmed never got claimed and spent the final month of the season as a free agent.

2024 Status and Outlook:

Ahmed is a free agent still. There's not been any rumors of any teams interested in him. Due to the downturn of his bat, Ahmed might be forced to accept a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training or a one-year deal. He might be forced to move off of shortstop as well in order to give his new team more flexibility in playing him. Ahmed isn't an everyday shortstop anymore. Still, should Ahmed decide to continue his career, it's likely that someone comes calling. Teams are always in need of decent-strong defenders plus perhaps Ahmed can revitalize his bat in a different stadium. He's just 33 years old. Nick Ahmed is a storied Diamondbacks player that will forever be remembered for back to back Gold Gloves in 2018-19 and some of the best defense anyone has ever seen from a shortstop. For more on his time in the desert, check out below.

A Review of Nick Ahmed's Time in the Desert