Ryan O'Hearn has to start

[interloper]

Does anyone still care about O'Hearn making $1.4 million or whatever it was... lol

[LA2]

Batting clean-up today between Santander and Hays in the series opener vs. the Blue Jays and Bassitt. That .328 / 4 HR / 17 RBI in very limited play shur looks purty.

[LA2]

.349 / .389 / .614 / 1.003 in 28 games (83 AB), with 5 HR, 7 doubles, 6 BB, 15 runs, 19 RBI.

Just for fun, let's project that out to the 322 AB that every old-time O's fan's favorite left-handed hitting specialist John Lowenstein had in 1982, his greatest year as an Oriole. Batting only 7 times that season against a lefty, he had 24 home runs, 15 doubles, 54 BB, and 66 RBI while slashing .320 / .415 / .603 / 1.017 (183 OPS+). Note that O'Hearn's current 1.003 and 176 OPS+ actually make it a pretty good comparison.

The factor of 322 AB/83 AB = 3.88 would project for O'Hearn: 19 HR, 27 doubles, 23 BB, 74 RBI. Fewer homers, more doubles, fewer walks, more RBIs. And fewer quips and antics for sure.

"I may not be a star, but sometimes I sparkle."

-- Brother Lo, conveying a fundamental teaching of the Earl

 

 

Edited June 19, 2023 by LA2

[Aristotelian]

Ryan O'Hearn has to start... at first base.

[Bemorewins]

17 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

Ryan O'Hearn has to start... at first base.

Yes. Please no more starts in the outfield.

[25 Nuggets]

It's such an obvious platoon situation right now with O'Hearn / Mountcastle at 1B (when he's returned from IL) that I worry the Orioles will out-think it.  The DH spot is available for extra PA.

[BRobinsonfan]

4 hours ago, Aristotelian said:

Ryan O'Hearn has to start... at first base.

Against right-handers.  At this point, I think he should be in the lineup against right-handers until he shows he shouldn't be.  Platoon Mountcastle, who's hitting .311 against left-handers, and you've got a hell of a first baseman in those two players.  

Edited June 19, 2023 by BRobinsonfan

[Ohfan67]

He’s been shockingly good. So fun to see these pickups play well. 

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

8 minutes ago, Ohfan67 said:

He’s been shockingly good. So fun to see these pickups play well. 

O'Hearn has turned into John Lowenstein circa 1982 against RHP. O'Hearn has to be starting against RHP if the Orioles are interested in starting their best lineup each game.

Maybe O'Hearn cools off soon enough, but worry about that when it happens.

[SemperFi]

16 minutes ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

O'Hearn has turned into John Lowenstein circa 1982 against RHP. O'Hearn has to be starting against RHP if the Orioles are interested in starting their best lineup each game.

Maybe O'Hearn cools off soon enough, but worry about that when it happens.

Brother Lo was my favorite color guy and one of my favorite Orioles.  But you really can't discuss him without Roenicke, who many forget was a very good defensive OF too.

[Just Regular]

5 hours ago, LA2 said:

"I may not be a star, but sometimes I sparkle."

-- Brother Lo, conveying a fundamental teaching of the Earl

Awesome quote.    A lot of the fun right now is it feels like almost anyone can be Yennier Cano, bolstered by BAL intellectual capital.   

I'll ride the hot hand even against Glasnow-Bradley next couple days and for as long as he's Lowenstein but this is still a 29.9 year old guy with career WAR -2.0.

I'm keen to see the more talented guys not because there's no risk they'll perform worse than O'Hearn/Hicks this week (they very well might) but because there's upside they'll hold their own in 3 months, like say Gunnar against Bassitt last week with the benefit of his talent blended with half a season's experience.    I believe O'Hearn got Bassitt too that night, to his credit.

[Jammer7]

1 hour ago, Bemorewins said:

Yes. Please no more starts in the outfield.

Meh, it happens. I actually think he has been pretty good in the OF, except for that one gaffe yesterday. He moves better out there than I expected when he was acquired. 

[Bemorewins]

6 minutes ago, Jammer7 said:

Meh, it happens. I actually think he has been pretty good in the OF, except for that one gaffe yesterday. He moves better out there than I expected when he was acquired. 

He’s a below average outfielder and probably an average 1B defensively. I would rather him be at 1B and put a better defender in the OF. I’m sure the issue will be resolved when Mullins returns because I am assuming the plan is to move Hicks to RF.

[luismatos4prez]

I'm loving the hot streak, but if we're being honest with ourselves, O'Hearn a DJ Stewart/Renato Nunes caliber player. Capable of putting up a 100 wRC+ in the right situations, but no value otherwise. I'd give the position back to Mountcastle full time when he's back for a month. If Mounty still can't hit or aim the ball right, we start thinking about Santander at 1B full time, or Kjerstad if he's mashing. But Ryan O'Hearn is not the answer anymore than Tim Beckham was.

[Jammer7]

2 hours ago, Bemorewins said:

He’s a below average outfielder and probably an average 1B defensively. I would rather him be at 1B and put a better defender in the OF. I’m sure the issue will be resolved when Mullins returns because I am assuming the plan is to move Hicks to RF.

Sure, but that bat has to be in the lineup against RHP. He moves pretty well for a bigger guy. I don’t want him out there five games a week, but he can play out there 1-2 times a week until Mullins comes back, or Cowser comes up.