It might not be the season anyone envisioned for the Baltimore Orioles, but Ryan O’Hearn picked a great time to have the best performance of his career.
Slated to hit the open market after the year, the slugger had a monster first half of the season with a .286/.382/.458 slash line, 11 homers and 34 RBI.
His performance earned him a spot on the American League’s All-Star roster, and he was voted into a starting role as the side’s designated hitter.
Receiving this honor for the first time is incredible for O’Hearn at 31 years old, but when he steps onto the field for the Midsummer Classic on Tuesday, he’ll look to keep his dream season alive with a memorable performance in the showcase event.
He’ll have the opportunity to do just that based on where he’s hitting in the batting order.
Sandwiched in between his fellow AL East rivals — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Junior Caminero — the Orioles slugger has a runway to being a run producer for the American League side.
While Riley Greene, Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh are notable power hitters in front of him, they also have the ability to produce hits and walks, with Guerrero being an on-base machine in his own right.
If O’Hearn can come through with traffic on the basepaths, he has a good opportunity to score some of the biggest names in the sport and impact winning for his team.
And with Caminero behind him, there’s a chance he could be crossing home plate himself in the early going, with the young Tampa Bay Rays star flashing his hitting ability throughout the season.
