Giants’ Ahmed finds success at the plate by simply being himself originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Nick Ahmed was a little disappointed when his bases-loaded line drive off the left field wall was called a foul Monday at Oracle Park. Instead of letting his emotions get the best of him, the Giants shortstop remained calm and collected, then hit a sharp grounder up the middle that drove in two runs to put San Francisco ahead for good.
It would have been easy and understandable if Ahmed had lost himself in thought after the foul, but his ability to remain trapped during the eventual 5-2 victory It was an encouraging sign for the Giants’ offense, which had been spotty during the first month of the season.
“You just try to control your heart rate, your breathing and slow down your thoughts,” Ahmed explained to NBC Sports Bay Area. “You do everything you can to get back to the moment as quickly as possible and don’t forget what happened. Just try to hit a good shot, take a good swing and be ready for it.
Ahmed also turned a double play in the fourth and then hit a bunt in the sixth, increasing his batting average to a respectable .296.
Ahmed’s resurgence at the plate came after he and the Giants had a slow offensive start to the season. In the team’s first eight games, the 34-year-old two-time Gold Glove champion had not run and was hitting just above the Mendoza Line at .208.
Since then, Ahmed has been sizzling on the plate. In his last 15 games, Ahmed is batting .340 (16-for-47) and has driven in five runs.
He did this while batting near the bottom of the Giants’ lineup.
His two runs off Mets starter José Quintana in the second inning Monday provided a nice spark for a team that had conceded five hits or fewer in two of its previous three games.
“We’ve had our share of big hits, maybe not as many as we’d like, but it’s been a while since we’ve had that kind of lead early in the game,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Or we just don’t do enough.”
Like many of his teammates, Ahmed didn’t worry or worry too much about how things were going for him at the start of the season. Although he wanted to make a good impression on his new team, Ahmed knew things would eventually work out for both him and the Giants.
“Obviously you want to start off well as a team and individually, but that didn’t really happen for us,” Ahmed said. “We have guys who have been playing this game for a long time. We understand that it is a marathon, it is not a race.”
Ahmed had to fight more than just opposing pitchers during his first year in San Francisco, after being a non-roster invitee and defeating prospectus announced Marco Luciano in spring training.
When he was named the Giants’ starter, Ahmed assumed the position that had previously been held by three-time MLB All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner Brandon Crawford. Crawford gained legendary status during his 13 seasons at Oracle Park.
So, it wasn’t as simple as signing with a new team and just playing shortstop. Ahmed replaced one of the most popular players in franchise history.
He knew that, but he didn’t see it that way. As he tried to do throughout his career with the Atlanta Braves and later the Arizona Diamondbacks, Ahmed tried to keep things in perspective.
“I played against Craw for a long time,” Ahmed said. “Obviously a phenomenal player and a huge part of this franchise, he’s done incredible things for this team. I’m not trying to replace him or be him or do anything like that. I’m just trying to come in and play my game and help our team as much as I can every night.
“You can’t try to be someone you’re not. You just need to bring to the table what you do well every day and try to help the team win the game. When you don’t play well and have difficulties, you look at it and try to improve. It’s never trying to be someone you’re not.”
Ahmed is definitely being himself, and right now for the Giants, that’s all he needs to do.
