If the O's could see Tyler O'Neill duplicate his 2024, they'd probably run with it

Sure, there are durability questions about Orioles outfielder Tyler O’Neill, a player they signed via free agency in December. But last year he took 473 plate appearances to rank fifth-most on the Boston Red Sox and the O’s would probably take that and run with it right now.

Especially with his 2024 stats.

Over 113 games – his most since 2021 – O’Neill hit .241/.336/.511/.847 with 18 doubles, 31 homers, 74 runs and 61 RBIs. He posted an 11.2 walk percentage and 33.6 strikeout percentage.

Among the 2024 Orioles, only Anthony Santander and Gunnar Henderson out-homered him. Among 2024 O’s with 100 or more plate appearances, only Henderson (.893) topped him in OPS. Only Santander and Henderson exceeded his OPS+ of 132.

After he produced a .700 OPS in 2022 and .715 in 2023, O’Neill put up his best numbers since 2021 last year. That season, when he finished eighth for the NL MVP with St. Louis, he hit 34 homers, had a .912 OPS and produced 6.1 Wins Above Replacement per baseball-reference.com that was fifth among all NL position players.

“I was healthy for the most that I was in my career (that season) and just kind of got pulled back a little bit the next two years, but last year I showed that I'm still that player,” O'Neill said last month in a Zoom call with Baltimore media. “I still got pop in my bat, I still got speed, I can still play defense and make plays on that side of the ball. The biggest thing for me is my training program and staying on top of my strength and conditioning, just understanding that I'm in a really good spot with that physically right now. It's a very balanced program and it keeps me feeling healthy.”

Staying on the field is the key and you can’t put up the numbers he did in 2021 and last season without that.

O’Neill ranked fourth in the majors last year in at-bats per homer, among the 90 players that hit 20 or more homers.

9.64 at-bats – Aaron Judge
11.78 at-bats – Shohei Ohtani
12.04 at-bats – Kyle Tucker
13.26 at-bats – Tyler O’Neill

O’Neill is better over his career versus lefty pitching but not with the disparity his splits showed last year. For his career his OPS is .923 against lefties and .751 versus right-handers.

Last season against left-handers he batted .313/.430/.750/1.180 and against right-handers he batted .209/.290/.403/.693.

MLB leaders, 2024, slugging vs. lefties:

.750 – Tyler O’Neill
.735 – Aaron Judge
.695 – Jose Ramirez

The highest-ranked Oriole from last season on this list is Adley Rutschman, 25^th in the majors in slugging off lefties at .512.

O’Neill was good last year at home (.809 OPS) and on the road (.883), in the first half (.838) and second half (.861). He had a .539 slugging percentage and .866 OPS when batting with runners in scoring position. As a team, the Orioles ranked 16^th in OPS with RISP in 2024 at .741.

O'Neill, who turns 30 on June 22, won Gold Gloves with St. Louis in 2020 and 2021. Last year he ranked in the 82nd percentile in arm strength (89.4 mph).

O'Neill also rated in the top two percent of the majors in '24 in barrel percentage (17.3) and the top 10 percent in bat speed and hard-hit percentage (48.8). The high K percentage was in the bottom two percent of big leaguers.

The on-base and slug could really benefit the Birds and if he can stay on the field and play solid defense, they'll take all of the above and run with it.