![\"Baltimore](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_408,w_2369,h_1332\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/GettyImages\/mmsport\/11\/01jyh50yfwvm1xw2z3n9.jpg\")
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The Rafael Devers trade certainly helped Baltimore Orioles slugger Ryan O’Hearn’s quest to be named to the American League All-Star team.<\/p>\n
After Devers was shipped to the Giants \u2014 who are of course in the National League \u2014 O’Hearn vaulted atop the fan vote to represent the AL as the designated hitter in this year’s Midsummer Classic.<\/p>\n
But Orioles fans have seen this song and dance before.<\/p>\n
How many times have some of the best players in the AL made great strides toward an All-Star appearance, only to be undercut during the voting process by a member of the New York Yankees?<\/p>\n
The results of first ballot were relased on June 16, and O’Hearn led the way by a wide margin.<\/p>\n
The O’s DH had 353,029 votes, over 100,000 more than his nearest competitor.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately for O’Hearn, that nearest competitor plays in the Bronx. Ben Rice’s 232,331 votes trailed O’Hearn, but the Yankees’ DH had the full power of New York’s voting block behind him. Many Orioles fans no doubt assumed the Yankees’ bias would kick in, and O’Hearn’s grip on an All-Star spot would be fleeting.<\/p>\n
Orioles DH Ryan O’Hearn just flipped the script on Yankees bias in latest All-Star count<\/strong><\/p>\n But the most recent update showed the exact opposite.<\/p>\n Not only is O’Hearn leading the way among all designated hitters in the AL, he widen the gap on his competition.<\/p>\n The O’s slugger, at last count, has 937,205 votes to Rice’s 409,336. That’s more than half-a-million votes difference. Way to go, BirdLand!<\/p>\n The fan votes can be cast until noon on Thursday, June 26. Phase 2 of the All-Star voting begins on June 30 with the top two vote-getters at each position on the ballot.<\/p>\n After that three-day voting window, the player who has the most votes will be declared the starter for the All-Star Game in Atlanta.<\/p>\n O’Hearn is enjoying a breakout season with the Orioles.<\/p>\n After varying levels of success the past two seasons in Baltimore, O’Hearn has become the best player on the O’s team this season.<\/p>\n The 31-year-old is hitting .305\/.387\/.480 and already has 10 home runs on the season. His 1.9 fWAR is a career-best, and it’s not even July yet.<\/p>\n Ryan O’Hearn delivers a 3-run blast to put the @Orioles ahead \ud83d\ude24 pic.twitter.com\/LkvgQ7cdM4<\/p>\n \u2014 MLB (@MLB) May 28, 2025<\/p>\n Rice is hitting just .241 on the year, but the young Yankees has 13 home runs and an .808 OPS.<\/p>\n But his 123 OPS+ is miles behind O’Hearn (148 OPS+). The Orioles’ slugger is having a better all around, but Baltimore doesn’t have the pinstripes, which is always something the O’s fanbase is mindful of.<\/p>\n If O’Hearn misses out on the starting nod for the All-Star Game, there’s a chance that another Yankee \u2014 Paul Goldschmidt \u2014 could usurp him for the reserve role.<\/p>\n Based on the most recent voting, the Orioles’ fanbase is determined not to let that happen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Rafael Devers trade certainly helped Baltimore Orioles slugger Ryan O’Hearn’s quest to be named to the American League All-Star team. After Devers was shipped to the… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":63917,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n