The Rangers announced that they have signed veteran infielder Nick Ahmed to a minor league deal. The Excel Sports Management client will be in big league spring training as a non-roster invitee.
At this point, clubs know what to expect from Ahmed, who turns 35 years old in March. He’s not going to provide much at the plate but he’s one of the best defensive shortstops in the game. Last year, he did a tour of the National League West, suiting up for the Giants, Dodgers and Padres throughout the year. He got into 71 games and hit .229/.267/.295.
Most of his career was spent with another NL West club, as he was with the Diamondbacks from 2014 to 2023. His 80 Defensive Runs Saved in that stretch were second among big league shortstops, behind only Andrelton Simmons. Ahmed’s 110 Outs Above Average in that span was also second among all shortstops, with Francisco Lindor at the top in that category.
The offense has never been as impressive. He has a career .234/.287/.371 batting line, which translates to a 71 wRC+. His best stretch was from 2018 to 2020, as he hit .248/.307/.421 for an 89 wRC+ over those years. When combined with his excellent shortstop defense, FanGraphs credited him with 4.0 wins above replacement in the first of those three years, followed by 3.4 fWAR in 2019 and 1.5 fWAR in the shortened 2020 season.
His production at the plate has dipped since then, as he has hit .221/.271/.327 for a 62 wRC+ over the past four seasons. Still, his glovework has been enough to keep him employed in part-time roles over time. Though he’s mostly lined up at short, he has a bit of experience at second base as well.
The Rangers have Corey Seager as their everyday shortstop, though he has a checkered injury history. Over the past four seasons, he has only once played more than 123 games. Josh Smith got a lot of the shortstop playing time late last year when Seager was hurt but his defensive metrics aren’t strong at the position. Ezequiel Durán has played a bit of short but has spent far more time at other positions. Second baseman Marcus Semien is a workhorse but is now 34 years old. If the need for some middle infield help arises, Ahmed gives them an experienced glove-first option they could potentially call upon.
this is NOT the Rockies
seriously, all he had to do to complete the West is go to the rockies….so simple…its much cleaner to work through one division before the next.
I was really hoping he was going to land with the Rockies and make the NL West tour complete
The Rockies dropped the ball.
Be nice to see him play well. I’ve talked to him and he’s a great guy.
One thing for sure, he’ll sign tons of balls for kids at Spring Training.
Paul Dejong is the only SS on the FA list now. That’s actually really impressive.
“He’s not going to provide much at the plate but he’s one of the best defensive shortstops in the game.”
Correction, he was one of the best defensive shortstops in the game, in 2018 and 2019.
DRS has him as basically a league average defender since then, and OAA has him as comfortably above average but nowhere near great or the best.
If he was still generating 15-30 DRS/OAA per year, his bat would be tolerable.
Well, maybe if he would play more games, he would accumulate a higher DRS, right? Ahmed is still one of the best shortstops in the game. No longer a gold glover maybe, but last year he still showed why teams continue to give him a chance.
Last year he played 554 1/3 innings in the field, to a -1 DRS.
You think if he played 1200 innings like in ’18/’19 that -1 magically becomes a +16 again?
More playing time would have just meant a -2 or -3 DRS for the year.
In all honesty, DRS does allow that in small sample sizes. Be wary of the small sample sizes and stats.
I will just never understand how some of these guys keep getting deals – even a minor league one. You telling me there’s not ONE player available who’s better than Nick Ahmed? His agent deserves a medal.
There may be one, but with thirty teams, there’s room for him.
Not better right now. See the O’s Jackson Holiday who got demoted back to AAA last season. You’ll want a vet like Ahmed around called up to fill in just in case. Then you DFA or release him.
Damn, if the Rox would have gotten him he would have qualified for the unique honor of playing for all the teams in one division. Edwin Jackson, Octavio Dotel, Dick Mountain and Mike Morgan haven’t, has anyone?
Steve Pearce has completed the AL East
?
Good for him, he’s finally leaving the NL West. He’s gotta be one of only a few players to play for all three National League California teams.
THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN! NICK AHMED IS NO LONGER A FREE AGENT BECAUSE OF THE DODGERS!
I’LL BITE. WHAT’S THE REASONING.
Watched him at SS with the Giants last year. He would do fine as a once a week backup type and late inning defensive replacement depending on who your starting SS is. His glove was solid but his bat wasn’t which you all know anyway.
ITS ALWAYS THE DODGERS FAULT. THIS MUST BE ANOTHER EXAMPLE ALTHOUGH I CAN’T CONNECT THE DOTS YET.