O'Hearn aided by shift limits: 'Feels like baseball again'

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Each of the 15 times Ryan O'Hearn has stepped into the batter’s box during a Grapefruit League game this spring, the 29-year-old has felt more like he’s playing the type of baseball he did while growing up.

MLB’s new shift restrictions are the reason for that.

Two infielders to the left of second base, two to the right -- it’s a sight O’Hearn hadn’t seen much since early in his five-year Major League career.

• Box score: Orioles 6, Twins 7

“In the past, I knew if I didn’t hit it off the wall, or over the wall pretty much, it wasn’t going to be a hit to the right side,” O’Hearn said.

That’s no longer the case, and O’Hearn is enjoying facing more traditional defensive alignments in his first Spring Training with the Orioles. Through six Grapefruit games, he’s 7-for-13 with one home run -- a walk-off three-run blast in a 10-7 win vs. the Phillies on Monday afternoon.

According to Baseball Savant, opposing teams were shifted to the right side against the left-handed-hitting O’Hearn for 75.9 percent of his 531 plate appearances for the Royals from 2020-22. He batted .222/.283/.340 and posted a 70 OPS+ (well below league average) over that span.

Facing shifts could take a mental toll on hitters like O'Hearn, who knew teams would always position a defender in shallow right field and another directly up the middle to take away probable hits. The counterpoint was often they should try to drop down bunts to the left side to beat it. But these were frequently sluggers who were at their best when they could simply try to hit the ball hard, such as O’Hearn.

Not a dilemma anymore. In O’Hearn’s first at-bat of the spring on Feb. 25, he ripped a ball to the right side of the Twins’ infield that likely would have been an out in past years. Instead, it was a single.

“It definitely frees me up,” O’Hearn said. “I still want to hit the ball all over the yard, but now it’s just kind of hit the ball hard, and wherever it goes, I’ve got a chance to get a hit. It feels good. It feels like baseball again.”

Manager Brandon Hyde shared there have been several instances this spring in which O’Hearn has returned to the dugout at the end of an inning and quickly commented on how good it felt not to be robbed by a shift.

“That was tough, when guys would hit a rocket in the slot there and somebody’s standing right there 30 feet out in the outfield,” Hyde said. “I think that he’s going to be one of quite a few that are going to benefit from not having somebody stand out there.”

The absence of shifts isn’t the only reason for the strong early spring results for O’Hearn, who was traded from Kansas City to Baltimore on Jan. 3 and designated for assignment by the O’s only two days later. After reporting to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in mid-February, he spent several days working with hitting coaches Matt Borgschulte and Ryan Fuller to fine-tune his approach.

Borgschulte, who was the hitting coach for Triple-A St. Paul in 2021, was impressed when he saw O’Hearn playing for Omaha during a five-game series that June. So once the Orioles acquired O’Hearn -- who has an .848 OPS in 612 Minor League games but only a .683 OPS in 342 big league contests -- Borgschulte was eager to try to help the slugger reach his full potential in the Majors.

“Basically, the main adjustment that we’ve just been working on is posture, making sure he’s staying in the middle of his body,” Borgschulte said. “We know that he’s got some serious power, and luckily, he’s been able to start to get to that. Hopefully, we can continue to keep that success going.”

When full-squad workouts began two weeks ago, O’Hearn shared his eagerness to battle for a spot on Baltimore’s 26-man roster. He knew it wouldn’t be an easy competition to win, though, and that’s proving to be the case.

In addition to O’Hearn, utility man Terrin Vavra has impressed in Grapefruit action, as have non-roster players Lewin Díaz and Franchy Cordero. There’s likely only one open bench spot, so several guys from that group probably won’t be breaking camp with the team.

“I’m having fun competing,” said O’Hearn, who can play first base and corner outfield. “I love to compete, I always have.”

O’Hearn will like it even more if it leads to him winning a job. If he keeps hitting as he has been, he just might.

“I feel like I’m on everything,” O’Hearn said. “Every at-bat I feel like I’ve been able to put together a pretty quality at-bat. I’m letting it fly out there. Everything’s kind of feeling right."