Sunday, June 22

Welcome to another edition of the Orioles Beat newsletter. The O’s will wrap up their American League East road trip with two more games vs. the Yankees this weekend before returning to Baltimore for a six-game homestand against the Rangers and Rays.

NEW YORK -- Before the first All-Star Game voting update was released Monday, Rafael Devers was expected to rank first among designated hitters in the American League. But a day earlier, he was traded from the Red Sox to the Giants, moving him to the National League.

As a result, a different player was atop the DH vote-getters in the AL: Ryan O’Hearn.

O’Hearn has never been an All-Star, but the 31-year-old is well on his way to potentially representing the Orioles in the Midsummer Classic on July 15 at Truist Park in Atlanta. At the time of Monday’s update, he had received 353,029 votes, well ahead of the Yankees’ Ben Rice (232,331) in second.

The top two vote-getters at each position (and the top six outfielders) will advance after Phase 1 concludes on June 26 -- except the player who receives the most votes in each league, who will automatically become a starter. Phase 2 (June 30-July 2) will then determine the rest of the All-Star Game starters.

The rest of the O’s hope to see people continue to stuff the ballot box for O’Hearn. (Fans can vote up to five times a day through the end of Phase 1.)

“He’s 1,000% deserving,” said shortstop Gunnar Henderson, a first-time All-Star in 2024. “He’s just been unbelievable this first half of the season, and he’s been one of the best hitters in baseball. It’s really cool to watch him do his thing and really cool to see where he is now through the journey that he’s had through baseball. There’s no one more deserving than him.”

When Baltimore acquired O’Hearn from Kansas City in exchange for cash considerations on Jan. 3, 2023, he had yet to cement himself as a big leaguer. He mostly struggled during a five-year tenure with the Royals from 2018-2022, when he averaged 68 MLB games per year.

O’Hearn has since become one of the Orioles’ most consistent hitters. In 2024, he set career highs in games played (142), hits (117) and home runs (15) while batting .264 with a .761 OPS. He was a finalist during Phase 2 of All-Star voting, losing out to Houston’s Yordan Alvarez.

Through 63 games this season, O’Hearn is hitting .304 with nine doubles, 10 home runs, 28 RBIs and an .867 OPS. He may be on the All-Star ballot as a DH, but he has also played 23 games at first base, 15 in right field and two in left field.

“I thought he got snubbed last year, quite frankly,” said infielder Jordan Westburg, a first-time All-Star in 2024. “For him to be in first this year, I’m fired up for him. He deserves it more than anybody that comes to my mind, and I’m not just saying that because I’m around him every day. I get to see what goes on behind the scenes and how much work he puts in and how much he actually cares, how hard he is on himself. 

“Just in my experience of being around other dudes -- at any level -- it’s pretty bar none. I think he deserves it. He’s played extremely well, as the stats show. And what’s not seen is what he’s done for this clubhouse through a pretty tough start of the year for the rest of the guys. Can’t say enough good about him.”

Another O’s player who could become a first-time All-Star this year is Jackson Holliday. The 21-year-old second baseman ranked second in Monday’s update with 449,093 votes, behind only the Tigers’ Gleyber Torres (535,079).

If Holliday ends up heading to Atlanta, he doesn’t think he should be going alone, as he also expressed support for O’Hearn’s All-Star case.

“100% deserving. He’s having an awesome year,” Holliday said. “The way that he’s battled throughout his career is honestly pretty inspiring, and for him to finally get the credit that he deserves is awesome. I’m really happy for him, and everyone in this locker room is pumped for him. We’re lucky to have him.”

Charlie Morton moved into 74th on the AL/NL all-time strikeouts list on Thursday night, when he boosted his career total to 2,121 to overtake Roy Halladay (2,117). But that wasn’t the only noteworthy achievement for the 41-year-old right-hander.

Morton has now pitched in big league games at 36 ballparks, adding both Sutter Health Park (June 7) and George M. Steinbrenner Field (Thursday) this season. The former is the temporary home of the A’s, while the latter is temporarily housing the Rays.

Only two players currently on an MLB roster have appeared in games at more ballparks -- Cubs right-hander Ryan Pressly (38) and Red Sox left-hander Aroldis Chapman (37). Morton is tied for third with Dodgers right-hander Luis García and Angels right-hander Kenley Jansen.

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to serve as a guest broadcaster for the MiLB.TV live stream of High-A Aberdeen’s 10-2 loss to Brooklyn. A big thanks to Mike Marcantonini -- who has done tremendous work as the voice of the IronBirds in recent years -- for the invite.

I also chatted with a few top Orioles prospects during my trip down to the farm. More to come from those interviews in this upcoming Tuesday’s newsletter.

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