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Date: 4/13/2023
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Nick Ahmed enters the 2023 season as the longest-tenured Arizona Diamondback, but though he has been in the National League West organization since 2013, the veteran Gold Glove shortstop is still in touch with his Massachusetts roots.
A native of East Longmeadow, Ahmed returns there in the offseason with his children and wife Amanda, who shares the same hometown.
“All of our family is back there, so we head back for a good chunk of the offseason and spend the holidays there,” Ahmed said. “Our kids get to see their cousins and grandparents and all that, which is a lot of fun.”
Massachusetts-born players make up a relatively tiny portion of Major Leaague Baseball rosters. In 2022, just 12 players hailing from the Bay State appeared in a major league game, according to Baseball-Reference.com.
Ahmed said he keeps in touch with some members of the group, like former University of Connecticut teammates Scott Oberg and John Andreoli, who last played in the MLB in 2019 and 2021 respectively.
“There’s a few of us hovering around up there,” Ahmed said.
Ahmed also used to work out during the offseason with left-handed pitcher Rich Hill, a Milton native who is set to play his 19th major league season in 2023.
“I got a physical therapist and a gym [Champion Physical Therapy and Performance in Waltham] that Rich Hill trains at too, so I see him quite a bit,” Ahmed said.
Ahmed, a two-time Gold Glove award winner, said he particularly enjoys the autumn weather back home, understandable having spent parts of nine seasons and counting in the dry Arizona heat.
“October or November is just great,” Ahmed said. “We just do a lot of stuff outside that time of year. Picking apples and hiking and that kind of stuff.”
Watching the Patriots is consistently top of mind for the native New Englander. Ahmed said Tom Brady signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then eventually retiring was definitely a big transition for his home state, but that “it’s kind of fun to watch.”
“It was a joy, just being spoiled,” Ahmed, 33, said. “Basically, my entire adult life was watching Tom Brady go out there and win Super Bowls. Even the second half of my childhood too.”
Ahmed said he didn’t watch much of the past season but nonetheless assessed the team’s woes like any Patriots fan would.
“I don’t know how much longer Belichick will be doing it but obviously [they’ve] got a great coach and a good defense,” Ahmed said. “Hopefully the offense ticks up next year, and they’ll be back in playoff contention.”
Ahmed will soon begin his tenth season playing in the Arizona desert. It’s clear, however, that he still thinks like a true New Englander.