In 2023, Adley Rutschman put on an electric switch-hitting show in the Home Run Derby and was one of four All-Star selections for the high-flying Orioles, who were already on their way to their best regular season in more than 40 years.
Last year, Baltimore featured three starters for the American League and five total selections in the Midsummer Classic. That included Corbin Burnes as the first Orioles pitcher to start an All-Star Game since Steve Stone in 1980.
The vibe was much different this year.
Make no mistake, Ryan O’Hearn remains a terrific story and was quite deserving as the club’s only representative and the AL’s starting designated hitter in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, but his presence was perceived elsewhere as a showcase for trade deadline buyers with the last-place Orioles being an afterthought in Atlanta this week. During the 31-year-old’s first at-bat, the FOX broadcast wasted no time speculating how much longer O’Hearn would be wearing a Baltimore uniform with the deadline a little over two weeks away.
The truth hurts when you’re in the midst of one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history.
As for the game itself, O’Hearn went hitless in his two at-bats, taking a called third strike on a slider from San Diego’s Jason Adam in the second inning and hitting a comebacker to Mets left-hander David Peterson to strand two runners in the fourth. But you had to feel great for the man who endured years of struggles in Kansas City and was even designated for assignment and outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk just days after the Orioles acquired him for cash considerations three winters ago. Batting .286 with 11 home runs, 34 RBIs, and an .840 on-base plus slugging percentage this season, O’Hearn became the second man in Orioles history to serve as the AL’s starting DH, joining Nelson Cruz in 2014.
With Baltimore’s season set to resume at Tampa Bay on Friday night and just 14 games remaining until the July 31 trade deadline, all attention now shifts to where O’Hearn and other pending free agents might wind up with general manager Mike Elias expected to sell in hopes of revamping the roster for next season. Last week, the Orioles traded right-handed reliever Bryan Baker to the Rays for the 37th overall pick in this year’s draft, a selection that was used on Oregon high school outfielder Slater de Brun on Sunday night.
