Orioles Slugger Ryan O'Hearn Has Been Rare Bright Spot for Struggling Lineup

Has Ryan O'Hearn been the best hitter for the Baltimore Orioles this season?

May 4, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles right fielder Ryan O'Hearn (32) hits a home run against the Kansas City Royals during the fifth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The struggles of the Baltimore Orioles are continuing in May with the team unable to build momentum after a poor start.

This season, the Orioles have been one of the biggest disappointments in baseball being in last place in the American League East and having one of the worst records in the league.

With a record well under .500, there are multiple reasons for Baltimore not playing well.

The starting rotation has taken a brunt of the blame for the struggles of the team, but it hasn’t been only their fault.

Despite having one of the best lineups in baseball, the Orioles have disappointed in this area. With multiple key players struggling, they haven’t been able to generate enough offense to make up for the struggles of the rotation.

However, despite a lot of issues, there have been a couple of bright spots.

Who Has Performed Well for Baltimore?

Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com recently wrote about the success of Ryan O’Hearn for the Orioles despite most of the lineup struggling around him.

“The 31-year-old O’Hearn has done his part to pick up the slack in a platoon role, hitting .295 with seven homers, an .896 OPS and a 159 wRC+ over 127 PAs.”

Even though O’Hearn is a platoon player, he has been arguably the best hitter on the team so far this year.

The slugger has slashed .304/.394/.522 with seven home runs and 14 RBI so far. Furthermore, he leads the team by quite a bit in OPS at .916.

Baltimore exercised O’Hearn’s option this past winter, but he will be a free agent at the end of the campaign. With that being said, and the current state of the Orioles, it makes him a prime option for the team to potentially trade this summer.

The 31-year-old has been an excellent platoon player and productive for Baltimore the past several seasons. However, at his age and with the team heading in the wrong direction, moving him could make sense if they don’t turn things around quickly.

With the ability to hit right-handed pitching at an extremely high level, O’Hearn would certainly generate some interest on the trade market.

Unfortunately for Baltimore, the reality for them this year is that they aren’t going to be a contender like they hope.

Even though they have received good production from O’Hearn, it hasn’t been enough to help propel the lineup to success this year.