'Pipe dream' becomes reality for O'Hearn with All-Star nod

BALTIMORE -- The All-Star Game had become only a “pipe dream” for Ryan O'Hearn. And he was OK with it. From 2018-22, he was struggling to stick in the big leagues with Kansas City, knowing his MLB career may not take off the way he had once envisioned.

O’Hearn even once joked during a return to Kauffman Stadium that the Royals should build a statue of him and put it on the bench inside the first-base dugout.

“I spent a lot of time on that bench over there,” O’Hearn joked.

No longer a benchwarmer, O’Hearn is now an All-Star. The 31-year-old is the Orioles’ lone representative in 2025, and he’ll be starting at designated hitter for the American League on Tuesday night at the MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Truist Park in Atlanta.

O’Hearn learned he’d be heading to the All-Star Game for the first time on July 2 in the visitors' clubhouse at Globe Life Field in Arlington, where interim manager Tony Mansolino gathered the O’s and made the announcement. It became an emotional day for O’Hearn.

“Cool to get recognized like that in front of your teammates, feel the love and give my own little version of a speech,” O’Hearn said. “I’m blown away.”

There have been plenty of late-blooming players with inspiring stories in MLB over the years, O’Hearn included. He was traded from Kansas City to Baltimore on Jan. 3, 2023, in exchange for cash considerations, then got designated for assignment two days later.

O’Hearn stuck in the Orioles’ organization, but he didn’t make the team out of Spring Training in 2023. His second callup to the big leagues that year in early May became permanent, as he played a key role in helping the O’s go 101-61 and win the AL East in ‘23, then reaching the postseason as an AL Wild Card in ‘24.

Throughout it all, O’Hearn’s Baltimore teammates have been quite impressed.

“It shows a bunch of persistence on his side,” center fielder Cedric Mullins said. “Just to continue to grind things out, continue to make adjustments, continue to try to learn how to improve his game and he’s found some things -- over the past few years, actually -- that have clicked and he’s been able to show it pretty consistently.”

“His career, his story, it’s just really unbelievable that he’s in this position, man,” shortstop Gunnar Henderson said. “It’s just a testament to his hard work and just his mental strength to get through all that and still be one of the best players in the game. [He's] one of the best hitters in all of baseball right now.”

There are a lot of players on the Orioles’ roster who understand the emotions O’Hearn has felt over the past week, as the team has had quite a few first-time All-Stars in recent years.

Mullins earned his only All-Star nod in 2021, as did Trevor Rogers, who was pitching for the Marlins at the time. Félix Bautista, Yennier Cano and Adley Rutschman all made their debuts at the Midsummer Classic in ‘23, while Henderson and Jordan Westburg were first-timers in ‘24.

Here’s the advice some of those former All-Stars have offered O’Hearn on the experience:

Mullins: “I just say, ‘Keep your eyes open.’ There’s a lot going on. It does feel like it happens fast, but it’s definitely an enjoyable moment. Take advantage of being around a bunch of superstars of the game. If you want the autograph, get it, don’t be afraid to do so. Because it’s cool. It’s really cool to be around those guys and there’s a mutual respect that you feel when you’re there. It’s very deserving of everybody, so it’s just a great experience.”

Henderson: “The biggest thing is enjoy the game, but also get your rest in. Because there’s a lot of standing around, a lot of pictures and a lot of stuff. So that’s the biggest thing is just make sure you get your optimal rest in after.”

Rogers: “Just enjoy it. I look back, and it seemed like it went by in a blink of an eye. I wish I would have just sat down and taken everything in a little bit better. So just enjoy it, and at the end of the day, who cares how well you do in the game? You want to do well, but it’s the All-Star Game. Just go out and have fun and just enjoy it. You’re there for a reason and you get to say you’re one of the best, so just go out there and have fun."

Cano (via team interpreter Brandon Quinones): “For him to go and enjoy it. That’s what we train for, that’s what we fight for. I think it’s important to be able to go over there and really just enjoy the experience.”