Baltimore Orioles fans continue to be very vocal on their displeasure with the job GM Mike Elias has done building around their young nucleus.
However, if there is any move Elias can hang his hat on, it was giving the Kansas City Royals a call amidst the 2023 offseason and snagging Ryan O’Hearn for cash considerations.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to be excited about the O’s in any capacity at the moment, but O’Hearn has done everything he can to make it worth tuning in every game day.
O’Hearn has been as reliable as it gets for the Birds since he arrived in 2023, but even O’s fans have to admit they could have never expected this level of production out of him.
To say O’Hearn is carrying the Orioles right now would be an understatement. His .329 average, .416 OBP, .535 slugging percentage, .952 OPS and 1.9 fWAR all lead the Orioles by wide margins.
Here are the lefty’s league-wide ranks in some major statistical categories:
- 174 wRC+ (5th)
- .413 wOBA (7th)
- .329 BA (6th)
- .416 OBP (5th)
- .535 SLG (14th)
- .952 OPS (7th)
If that doesn’t sell you on the way O’Hearn has been swinging the bat, maybe his baseball savant page will.
O’Hearn’s 16 batting run value (BRV) is in the 95th percentile of major league batters. His .329 xBA is good for the 100th percentile. Maybe most encouraging, though, is his 52.1% hard-hit rate (90th percentile) combined with his 40.7% launch angle sweet spot (91st percentile).
When you are able to elevate hard-hit balls, you’re going to have loads of success in this league, which is exactly what you are seeing from the Orioles’ lone bright spot.
That brings us to the purpose of this article. Is Ryan O’Hearn playing his way into the MLB Mid-Summer Classic?
His best chance will probably come as a designated hitter, where he currently leads the American League in average, on-base percentage, slugging and OPS.
His main competition will likely come from Boston Red Sox DH Rafael Devers, who currently leads the position in home runs, RBIs, runs, hits, doubles and walks. The name value is obviously heavily in Devers’ favor as well.
I don’t know if he will be able to beat out Devers, but I do think O’Hearn has a great chance of being a reserve, at the very least. Take that as your sign to vote ROH as many times as you can once voting opens later this month.
O’Hearn has been vocal about his love for the Orioles organization numerous times, so it’s safe to say this success couldn’t be happening to a better person.
As one of the better hitters in the game, with the ability to play multiple positions, O’Hearn is going to be seeing a lot of money as a pending free agent. While it would be great for that to be from the O’s, that is a conversation for another date.
The Orioles may keep losing, but at least we’re getting to see a special year from a player who wasn’t even guaranteed a roster spot two years ago.
What are your thoughts on Ryan O’Hearn, and do you think he’s worthy of being named an All-Star? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, X, Bluesky and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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