A look at a player with a specific plan for this year that has executed that well

Sometimes you can "turn and burn" but sometimes "you take rather than rake."

When I interviewed Ryan O’Hearn in spring training and we talked about his strong 2023 and hopes for the 2024 season, he knew he may still have some doubters out there.

“I’m sure there are people saying, ‘He’s a one-hit wonder or a flash in the pan’ type of thing. You know, I’m eager to prove that is not true,” he said in that March interview in Sarasota.

Then O’Hearn spelled out some specific plans to improve this year and they have played out on the field pretty much exactly as he had hoped.

He wanted to walk more. He is. He wanted to do a better job in 3-2 counts and he is big time.

The overall numbers are good again. Last year O'Hearn hit .289/.322/.480/.801 producing a 122 OPS+. This year he is batting .272/.347/.456/.803 for an OPS+ of 130.

O’Hearn said then of the coming ’24 season: “One emphasis for me, I’d like to walk more. If I’m swinging earlier in the count, I’d like it to be for damage. I don’t want to make early-count outs. I’d like to see more pitches and work more walks.”

His walk rate jumped big time from 4.1 percent last year to 10.0 this year and MLB average is 8.5. His strikeout percentage is way down from 22.3 last year to 12.9 this year and MLB average is 22.7.

Putting many more balls in play in 2024.

But in discussing getting more walks, O’Hearn was even more specific about one way to do that in the preseason interview.

“What it really comes down to is what you do in 3-2 counts," he said. "Just looking at the analytics and swing rates, that is one area I can improve is pitch selection in full counts. Definitely an emphasis for me this spring.”

In this area, O’Hearn’s improvement is remarkable. Last year, in hitting in 3-2 counts he went 7-for-45, batting .156/.231/.289/.520.

Now look at his 2024 stats in such counts. He is 10-for-35, batting .278/.536/.556/.1.091. He has walked 20 times and fanned 12, taking several close pitches to get that outstanding ratio. The OBP went from .231 to .536 and his OPS in 3-2 counts from .520 to 1.091.

“The worst possible result of an at-bat in my opinion is a strikeout looking. It just feels the worst. So maybe subconsciously in a full count, (I was) trying to guard against that, I would foul off pitches that would have been a walk and then make contact and get out. It’s something I’ve been looking at and thinking of ways to improve in that count,” he said in March.

The plan he had in mind, he has executed in a big way. More production and more walks in those 3-2 counts.

I have often heard players with specific plans in spring training for improvement in the coming season. I have seldom, maybe never, seen a player make it work to the degree that O’Hearn has this season.

On to Toronto: While the Orioles are in Toronto for a series that begins tomorrow night, the New York Yankees will host the Los Angeles Angels.

The clubs are 67-46 and can't shake each other right.

Three of the next four series are AL East series, which could be good news for the Orioles. They are 7-1-2 this year in division series and 23-10 (.697) in those games. The Orioles have gone 6-4 versus Toronto this year splitting two series and winning the most recent one, taking three of four games at Camden Yards.

When the Yankees won a series in Baltimore before the All-Star break, they ended Baltimore's 22-series run in the AL East without losing one. The Orioles are now 17-1-6 in their past 24 division series.

Their next dozen games include three on the road at Toronto, three at Tampa Bay, two at home versus Washington and four at Oriole Park against Boston. 

More farm movement: The Orioles are promoting first-baseman/outfielder TT Bowens from Double-A Bowie to Triple-A Norfolk. This season in 81 games with the Baysox, he hit .246 with a .728 OPS to go with 12 homers and 52 RBIs.

The Orioles reached agreements, per various reports, with 10 players after the recent MLB Draft. Three of those undrafted free agents are now going to report to Low-A Delmarva. They are pitchers Joe Glassey from Illinois, Kenny Leiner from Limestone College and Trent Turzenski from Valparaiso.

Moving from the Florida Complex League O's roster with that season now over to Delmarva are 19-year-old infielder Edwin Amparo from the Dominican Republic and 22-year-old right-handed pitcher Simon Alberto Leandro. Amparo produced a .784 OPS in 52 FCL games. Leandro went 2-1 with a 5.86 ERA over 35 1/3 innings in the FCL.

Moving from the Dominican Summer League O's roster to Delmarva is right-handed pitcher Keeler Morfe. Morfe, 18 from Venezuela had an ERA of 0.82 in 22 innings in the DSL. He walked eight with 38 strikeouts. 

Lefty Deivy Cruz and infielder Angel Tejada are moving from High-A Aberdeen to Delmarva. 

Catcher Brayan Hernandez was released from the Delmarva roster and so were pitchers Jiorgeny Casimiri, Harif Frias and Isaac Solano.