'He's here for a reason': Ahmed hoping to elevate Giants at shortstop

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The wait, Nick Ahmed said, was long. He entered free agency this past winter for the first time at 33 years old coming off a down year, but thought he’d find a new team quickly. Instead, he waited until late February, signing a Minor League deal with the Giants on Monday.

The wait might have been worth it, though -- Ahmed has a real chance to win San Francisco’s starting shortstop job.

“He’s here for a reason,” said Giants manager Bob Melvin before San Francisco's 7-4 loss to the A's on Wednesday. “He’s got two Gold Gloves in his pocket.”

The last of those Gold Gloves came in 2019 with the Diamondbacks, although Ahmed’s performance in the field began to suffer the last couple seasons. In his two Gold Glove years (2018 and 2019) Ahmed had been worth a total of 40 Outs Above Average. His last two years, as the veteran battled shoulder issues and took a backseat to younger infielders, his OAA total was just six.

But now, a year and a half removed from right shoulder surgery, Ahmed said the Giants will be getting something closer to the award-winning defender he was in Arizona. He spent this winter working to strengthen his arm, and he now feels a familiar zip on the ball. He’d always been able to get to any ball hit his way, and he always has been among the most technically sound shortstops in the game, but he struggled last year when a play demanded he fire his best fastball.

“I just didn’t have the strength all the time, especially going in the hole, so I was trying to get rid of it quicker than I normally would,” Ahmed said. “I have confidence now to go in the hole and let it rip. There’s no pain and the strength is there.”

He’s also made some corrections at the plate. Though never known for his bat, Ahmed long had been a tough out against left-handers, with a career .272/.325/.462 line against them prior to last season. Right-on-right matchups gave him much more trouble, but a tweak he made last year to address that weakness -- opening up his stance against righties to get to the inside pitch easier -- screwed him up against southpaws. This year, he said, he’ll use his old stance against lefties and the newer one against righties.

Ahmed hopes to get in a Spring Training game by the end of the week, and if he indeed returns to form, his addition makes the Giants’ shortstop competition even more interesting. Melvin already has said he views the veteran as a full-time shortstop rather than a utility infielder, and Ahmed said he turned down interest from other teams who planned to move him around the diamond. Melvin indicated Wednesday that Ahmed is not in a similar position to former Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford, who joined the Cardinals this month as the designated backup to prospect Masyn Winn.

“We have some guys we’re looking at,” Melvin said. “Nothing’s given to anybody. It’s about performance.”

One of those guys is Marco Luciano,who came in at No. 39 on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects this season, although the Giants haven’t gotten a look at him recently. Luciano is day-to-day with a hamstring issue, although the 22-year-old could see the field soon. Even when he does, though, there are questions about his fit at shortstop rather than third or second base. Others in the mix for time at short are young infielders Casey Schmitt and Tyler Fitzgerald.

All those players are young, and while Ahmed is in camp to win a job, the Giants also value his presence as a mentor.

“There’s that dynamic, too,” Melvin said. “We’ve talked to Marco about ‘pick this guy’s brain a little bit.’” Ahmed has experience in that role, having helped bring along young D-backs shortstop Geraldo Perdomo the last two years. As any competitor would, he wants to start. But if his ultimate role is that of a seasoned guide for Luciano and others, Ahmed is happy to do what the team needs.

“We do have a good crop of young, talented middle infielders from what I’ve seen the last couple days here,” Ahmed said. “If that’s part of my role here, I’ll embrace it.”