Nick Allen (allenni02)

Nicholas Ryan Allen

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 166 lb.
• High School Francis Parker School
• Debut April 19, 2022

• Born October 8, 1998 in San Diego, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Infielder Nick Allen began his professional career in 2017 and was the starting shortstop for Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

He was already a veteran of the U.S. national team as a youth, being a member of both the U15 and U18 versions. He was drafted out of high school by the Oakland Athletics in the 3rd round of the 2017 amateur draft and signed quickly, beginning his pro career that same year with the AZL Athletics, where he hit .254 in 35 games. He moved to full-season ball in 2018 with the Beloit Snappers of the Midwest League, where he hit .239 in 121 games as a 19-year-old. In 2019, he played 72 games for the Stockton Ports of the California League, improving to .292/.363/.434 with 45 runs. He missed part of the season with an injury, then appeared in the Arizona Fall League.

After sitting out the 2020 season because the minor leagues were shut down by the Coronavirus pandemic, he returned to action in 2021 in the new Double-A Central, with the Midland RockHounds. He took a break during the season, with the A's blessing, to return to the U.S. national team program, earning the job of starting shortstop for the 2020 Americas Olympics Qualifier during which the U.S. punched its ticket for Tokyo, and at the delayed 2020 Olympics.

He made his major league debut with the Oakland Athletics, starting at second base against the Baltimore Orioles on April 19, 2022 and batting ninth. He went 0 for 3 in the game. He ended up playing 100 games for Oakland, batting .207 with 4 homers and 19 RBIs, for an OPS+ of 61 while sharing the shortstop position with Elvis Andrus and second base with Tony Kemp. In 2023, he was a full-time shortstop, playing 106 games and hitting .221 with 4 homers and 20 RBIs. His OPS+ was again well below average at 56 and it's fair to say that it was only his glove keeping him in the majors. His playing time fell dramatically in 2024, as he appeared in just 41 games, with only 97 plate appearances. His offensive contribution was once again negligible, with an OPS+ of 35, and he played a few games at second and third base in addition to shortstop as he was seemingly becoming a utility infielder - not very stable long-term employment in these days where teams could only carry two or three substitutes who were neither pitchers or catchers.

On November 11, 2024, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves in return for minor league pitcher Jared Johnson. Orlando Arcia was expected to be the starting shortstop for the Braves in 2025, but when he failed to hit, Nick got a chance to play, and while he was not great with the bat either - he hit .221 in 135 games with his only extra-base hits being 11 doubles - his glove work was outstanding, justifying his presence in the line-up. In fact he was a finalist for the Gold Glove in the National League. However, the Braves, who missed the postseason, were looking for a better all-around contribution from the position and on November 19, 2025, he was traded to the Houston Astros in return for utility player Mauricio Dubon, a better hitter but someone who could also compete for the starting shortstop job. As for Allen, he was expected to be a back-up at three infield positions in 2026.

He is the son-in-law of Bret Boone.

Further Reading

• Mark Bowman: "Braves acquire Gold Glover Dubón from Astros for infielder Allen", mlb.com, November 20, 2025. [1]

Related Sites

• Nick Allen on mlb.com
• BR Minors page