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TAMPA – Nobody would blame Ryan O’Hearn for paying close attention to stats.
In the midst of a career season, the 31-year-old is hoping for his first All-Star selection. For a player optioned or designated for assignment five times during his professional career, the bid would signify the epitome of perseverance in the game.
As such, the do-it-all slugger has earned the right to doom scroll box scores when he wakes up in his Florida hotel tomorrow morning.
Instead, he’ll be doing arts and crafts.
“Get out of the hotel, go serve somebody beside yourself, people who really need it,” O’Hearn said.
This week, it’s the Boys and Girls Club. In Minnesota, it was packing food for those in need, a similar cause to Sacramento, feeding the homeless at a church.
“In 2023, I grated provolone cheese for two hours straight at a homeless shelter in New York City,” O’Hearn recalled with a smile.
With the help of Big League Impact, O’Hearn is making the most of his road trips, volunteering and helping those in need.
“I really look forward to it,” he said. “It makes you feel good inside, just loving on people who maybe don’t get a ton of that in their lives, and trying to bring them a little bit of joy. I think it’s really important and something that means a lot to me.”
When O’Hearn joined the Orioles in 2023, he was learning what it truly meant to be a big leaguer. On the field, he struggled in 105 games with the Royals in 2019. The next three seasons brought 193 appearances in Kansas City, far from everyday work, and just a .622 OPS. Baltimore gave him a chance.
“I owe Baltimore a lot for the opportunity to play and be welcomed to the city and be part of a really good team the last few years,” he said. “I feel really grateful to be able to continue to play baseball. There was a lot of years where I thought I probably wasn’t going to be playing at this point or wasn’t going to last this long. It’s a testament to my faith, and God can do things in your life that are beyond anything you could ever imagine. And I think that’s what I’m getting a chance to live right now.”
Naturally, more playing time and a defined role makes a big difference as a player. But being a big leaguer means more than just on-field contributions.
O’Hearn’s inclusion in the 2023 clubhouse also meant more interaction with Kyle Gibson, a veteran pitcher widely renowned for his off-the-field work.
“It started in '23 when Gibby was here, just went with him on pretty much every service opportunity on the road,” O’Hearn said. “I always looked up to Gibby in the clubhouse. When I found out how involved he was with stuff like this outside of the clubhouse, it made me look up to him even more. Kind of wanted to be like him in a way and serve others like he did and continues to do.”
The All-Star hopeful is too modest to think that he may have the same impact on his teammates, though.
“I don’t need any of the guys in here to look up to me or anything like that,” he said. “If they want to get out of the hotel and do something like that for somebody else, then I want to be able to provide an opportunity for them to do that. … I’m not too forceful about it or anything like that, just kind of providing the opportunity, and hopefully some of them will take me up on it. And they do.”
There’s no denying that O’Hearn’s stats are excellent. His hard work and persistence in the game has paid off and could potentially culminate in an All-Star selection. But the Midsummer Classic is just a game, too. Some things just mean more.
“It just seems like it’s more important than really anything else,” O’Hearn said. “Baseball’s a game. It’s awesome, what it can do for people and the joy it can bring them in their lives, it’s great. But to be able to actually go to a place that you normally wouldn’t go to, in a city that you’re not normally in, to interact with people who you would never, ever interact with outside of that. To be able to serve them, I just think it’s good for your soul. Truthfully, it’s enjoyable for me. It really is.”
We know how well O’Hearn fares with a bat in his hand. The challenge of scissors and colored pencils awaits.
Breadcrumbs from the skipper
Coby Mayo is out of the lineup for the second consecutive game, but is still making the most of his time in the bigs, according to Tony Mansolino.
“He’s working his butt off, he’s making improvements, he’s staying sharp,” Mansolino said.
Mayo can always be seen getting reps in at first base well before gametime.
Trevor Rogers is here on the taxi squad and figures to start tomorrow’s game.
“We’re excited to kind of get him in here tomorrow,” Mansolino said, saying it without really saying it.
Rogers has been in Norfolk since his stellar start against Boston in late May.
“I always ask the pitching guys how Trev looked after every start (in Norfolk),” Mansolino said. “They’ve been really, really bullish on how good he’s looked. We’re really optimistic.”
