Ryan O'Hearn
Position: 1B/OF
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 220 lbs
Bats/Throws: L/L
Born: 07/26/1993
College: Sam Houston State University
How Acquired: Free Agent
Drafted: 8th Round, 243rd Overall, 2014 (Royals)
Bonus: $125,000
40-man Roster: Yes
Rule 5 Eligible: N/A
Minor League Free Agency: N/A
Options Left: N/A
Overview
O’Hearn is a veteran hitter who, after five mostly unsuccessful full and partial seasons with Kansas City, suddenly took a large step forward at age 29, in 2023, with Baltimore. He started hitting for average and decent power, and his walk and strikeout rates both improved substantially. O’Hearn has power to all fields and, at least in the last two years, hasn’t chased excessively and has made a lot of good contact. He had no platoon splits in 2023 and 2025, and a significant one in 2024. In the majors, O’Hearn has mostly played first, but he’s gotten time in right and a little in left. The defensive metrics mostly rate him a little above average at first and a little below in the outfield. UZR, though, rates him a good bit lower at both spots. His speed, per Statcast, is a little above average, his arm well below.
The Pirates signed O’Hearn to a two-year deal in December 2025. The team’s extreme cheapness had become a running joke long before, in part because they hadn’t signed a position player to a multiyear free agent contract in a decade.
2014-16
O’Hearn hit well in the low minors, with good power and also a lot of strikeouts. The year he signed, the Royals sent him to advanced rookie ball and he put up big numbers. He had a 361/444/590 line, with 13 home runs in 64 games. In 2015, he went to low A and had an .845 OPS with 19 home runs in two-thirds of a season. Then he moved up to high A and hit eight more longballs, for 27 on the year, and posted an OPS of .762. On the season he had a K rate of 26%.
In 2016, back in high A, O’Hearn hit seven home runs and had an OPS of 1.079, which led to a promotion after 22 games. He hit another 15 home runs in AA, but had a tougher time overall, batting 258/339/437. On the year, he struck out 28% of the time.
2017-18
O’Hearn moved up to AAA in 2018 and hit fairly well, batting 252/325/450, with 18 home runs. That was in the Pacific Coast League, though, so his OPS was almost exactly league average. Late in the year, the Royals sent O’Hearn down to AA, although it was due to some roster shuffling rather than strictly as a demotion. He had an .840 OPS and four more home runs there. His strikeout rate on the year remained high at 26%.
Back in AAA in 2018, O’Hearn didn’t hit well, putting up a 232/322/391 line with 11 home runs in 100 games. He did get his K rate down slightly to 24%. The Royals called O’Hearn up at the end of July and he stayed with them through the end of the season. He had a great couple of months, batting 262/353/597 with a dozen home runs.
2019-22
O’Hearn spent most or all of the 2019-22 seasons with the Royals and consistently struggled. In all four seasons, he had an OPS between .604 and .650. He hit 14 home runs in 2019, but only 12 in 193 games over the next three years. His K rate stayed between 24% and 28%, and his walk rate dropped to 5.1% in 2021 and 5.5% in 2022. He had a couple of stints in AAA during those four years and hit a ton at the level. In January 2023, the Royals sent O’Hearn to Baltimore for cash.
2023-25
Baltimore outrighted O’Hearn to AAA right after the trade, but once the season started, the Orioles called him up after nine games. He played only two more in AAA in 2023. In 112 games in the majors, O’Hearn hit 289/322/480 with 14 home runs. He walked very little, but got his K rate down to 22%. In 2024, O’Hearn’s walk and K rates improved significantly to 9% and 14%, respectively. He didn’t hit quite as well overall, though, batting 264/334/427 with 15 home runs.
In 2025, O’Hearn started hitting for a little more power again while he was with the Orioles. He batted 283/374/463 with 13 home runs in two-thirds of the season. At the deadline, the Orioles traded him to San Diego. He tailed off a little with the Padres, batting 276/350/387 with four home runs. On the season, his walk rate was 11% and his K rate 20%.
Stats
Transactions
June 6, 2014: Drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 8th round, 243rd overall pick; signed on June 10.
July 31, 2018: Contract purchased by the Kansas City Royals.
January 3, 2023: Traded by the Kansas City Royals to the Baltimore Orioles for cash.
January 12, 2023: Outrighted to AAA by the Baltimore Orioles.
April 13, 2023: Called up by the Baltimore Orioles.
July 23, 2025: Traded by the Baltimore Orioles with Ramon Laureano and cash to the San Diego Padres for Boston Bateman, Tyson Neighbors, Tanner Smith, Brandon Butterworth, Cobb Hightower and Victor Figueroa.
November 2, 2025: Became a free agent.
December 23, 2025: Signed as a free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates.