O'Hearn keeps earning at-bats in Hyde's lineup

First base was a hot stove for the Orioles in January of 2023. 

On the first of the month, Baltimore sent Tyler Nevin to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for cash considerations. Hopefully, Mr. Considerations didn’t start looking for any apartments along the Inner Harbor, as just two days later, Cash was sent to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Ryan O’Hearn. 

On the fifth of the month, the O’s claimed Lewin Díaz off waivers from the Atlanta Braves. That same day, O’Hearn was designated for assignment, and Díaz followed six days later. 

Amidst a 40-man roster crunch, Baltimore hoped they could keep both first basemen around. Díaz was renowned for his defensive ability, and while O’Hearn had yet to put things together in the big leagues, he had dominated at the dish against Triple-A competition. 

There wasn’t much separating the two options at the time, but that’s certainly changed. 

Luckily for the Orioles, O’Hearn remained in the organization and was sent outright to the Norfolk Tides, where he played in 11 games that season. 

The lefty recorded a hit in all but one of those 11 contests and slugged .729, good for an OPS of 1.133. The numbers were gaudy but not unexpected, as the Sam Houston State product had been there and done that in the highest level of the minors. 

The big leagues, where he hit just .219 in a Royals uniform, were a different story.  

But two years later, after a fresh start, a defined role and some mechanical adjustments, O’Hearn has earned his way into being a key piece of the Orioles lineup. 

And despite young talent knocking on the door, O’Hearn’s production is just too valuable to keep out of Brandon Hyde’s starting nine.

Through two seasons in Baltimore, O’Hearn boasts a .276 batting average, far above the league averages of .243 and .248 over that span. His .778 OPS far exceeds league standards too. 

His advanced stats back up his strong performance as well. In 2024, the lefty ranked in the 75th percentile or better in the following hitting categories: expected-weighted on-base average, expected batting average, expected slugging percentage, squared-up rate, whiff rate and strikeout rate. That’s a lot of the good ones, and a good indication that his numbers are no fluke. 

And when the Orioles are at full strength, O’Hearn can really shine. 

The lefty has mashed 29 home runs over the last two seasons, with 27 of them coming against right-handed pitching. In 2024, his OPS against righties was nearly 175 points higher than against lefties. And in 2023, his batting average against right-handers was 100 points better than it was against left-handers. O’Hearn can be deployed in his best situations, a benefit of having 13 position players that all have a case for playing time. 

To start 2025, it’s been the same story. 

In the first four games of the season, the Orioles have seen four right-handed starting pitchers. So, that’s four days for O’Hearn to get the starting nod. And he has taken every advantage of early opportunities. 

In 15 at-bats, O’Hearn is hitting .400 with a .471 on-base percentage and 1.004 OPS. Six hits, two doubles, two walks and just one strikeout. And that .400 batting average could be even higher. 

The following numbers are the exit velocities on balls in play from O’Hearn that have resulted in outs: 96.1 mph, 79.3, 98.5, 98.3, 76.0, 90.7, 93.0, 109.4. 

That’s six of eight over 90 mph, and half of those balls are over the 95 mph “hard-hit” classification threshold. In 2024, Statcast found that “hard-hit” balls had a batting average of .524. Just so we’re keeping score, that’s a .400 batting average with bad luck. 

Yes, the Orioles want to find at-bats for Heston Kjerstad. His development is important, and his success in his limited time in the big leagues is a great indicator of things to come. And yes, Kjerstad’s role could be expanded if he were getting starts over O’Hearn at designated hitter. 

But O’Hearn, fresh off another outstanding game, isn’t the guy to take out of the lineup right now. That doesn’t help the Orioles win baseball games. And Kjerstad, always a great clubhouse presence with a team-first attitude, would probably tell you the same. 

Who knew that cash considerations could net such an impactful return? 

To kick off 2025, O’Hearn has been nothing short of money.