Nick Ahmed's NL Central comments

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mikechamp
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Nick Ahmed's NL Central comments

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These comments came from a chat with current MLB SS Nick Ahmed that occurred on January 31. The 2023 season will be his 10th MLB season, all with the Diamondbacks.

There were only 2 NL Central-related questions, so I included a bunch of bonus Q&As for all those with kids or that I found interesting from a player's perspective. As always, click on the link to read the entire chat.

The link to the entire chat can be found here: https://live.jotcast.com/chat/live-chat ... 14948.html

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What's your favorite ballpark of all time you've played at/attended/visited? MLB and/or MiLB

Nick Ahmed
Yankee Stadium and Wrigley.
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What's the wildest moment of your career? Like, what's the one thing you think about your career that still boggles your mind?

Nick Ahmed
Getting to 1st base as a rookie and Albert Pujols saying "Nice swing Nick".
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Hi Nick, really appreciate you taking the time to do this! Any advice or tips to a high school sophomore trying to play in college?

Nick Ahmed
Yea, 1% mentality. Get a little bit better everyday and it will compound over time!
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What is your advice to high schools athletes looking to play professionally?

Nick Ahmed
Become great at self reflection, adopt the 1% mentality and have your identity firmly rooted in God, not in baseball.
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I see you led the league in sac flies in 2019... assuming just bad luck that they didn't go out? Agree?

Nick Ahmed
No, it was an intentional focus to hit the ball in the air with a guy on 3rd base and less than 2 outs.
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What are the keys to teaching young kids to catch, throw, and hit the ball?

Nick Ahmed
Make it fun! Kids learn well through fun play.
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For multi-sport high school athletes, when do you feel it's best to focus exclusively on baseball?

Nick Ahmed
Once you go to college. I love multiple sports as long as possible.
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How difficult is it to play a day game after a night game? Who does it affect the most?

Nick Ahmed
Sometimes it's hard to get to bed to get enough sleep, but by the time game time rolls around, I'm ready to go!
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What's your pre-game routine?

Nick Ahmed
Get to ballpark around 1. Eat lunch, watch video, corrective exercises and workout in weight room. Throw, ground balls, hitters meeting, eat a small snack, hit in cage and then out to the line to stretch and run.
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Thanks for the chat, Mr. Ahmed. I love great defense and you bring it! In your opinion, how much of it is the mental side - "wanting the ball...knowing that you will make the play so that your athleticism and instincts can take over"?

Nick Ahmed
So much! That mindset is key. My college infield coach always used to say "You have to want the ball, not just expect it".
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As a fielder, is there a general public defensive metric you put more stock in or find more accurate?

Nick Ahmed
I've heard that OAA is the most accurate because it is literally tracking everything.
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