Royals’ Ryan O’Hearn learned to be productive in more ways than just the home run
The Royals certainly focused their offseason roster-building around versatility, speed and what the organization likes to refer to as “action players.” Those are the players capable of putting pressure on a defense through speed, taking the extra base and tactics like stealing bases and using the hit-and-run.
While the abilities of those players — guys like Whit Merrifield, Adalberto Mondesi, Billy Hamilton, Chris Owings and Terrance Gore — generated the lion’s share of the intrigue in spring training, the Royals’ lineup isn’t devoid of run producers — those players whose job it is to take the scoring opportunities created by those speedsters and turn them into runs.
Through his first 49 career games in the majors entering the weekend, Ryan O’Hearn has been exceptional at that task. His 34 RBIs tie him for the second-most in franchise history for a player starting his major-league career.
The left-handed-hitting first baseman has shown plenty of power in racking up 26 extra-base hits, including 13 home runs in the majors. But that run production is as much about an approach to situations and thinking about the game as it about hitting the ball hard.
“There’s a knack to it. It’s a confidence level. It’s a mindset more than anything,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “There’s guys that are good at it and there’s guys that aren’t good at it.
“The guys that are good at it — it’s a mindset, especially with a runner on third and less than two outs. You’re going to find a way to get that run in. That’s your whole focus. Where other guys are thinking about hitting doubles and getting a run in.”
So far this season, Yost has been primarily using putting O’Hearn in the lineup against right-handed starters — he pinch hit for O’Hearn against a left-handed pitcher in favor of right-handed hitting Frank Schwindel in last Tuesday’s game after O’Hearn homered in his previous at-bat — though Yost has said multiple times since spring training that he considers it a “loose platoon.”
O’Hearn came into the weekend having collected a hit in five consecutive games, and he’s batting .333 with four RBIs in five games.
“Confidence is a huge thing for sure because it can get into your head, but the reality is the pitcher is in trouble — not you,” O’Hearn said of potential run-producing situations.
While O’Hearn matter-of-factually explains his thought process in the most crucial situations with the insight of a veteran, he’s acutely aware that he got to this place of clarity over time with the help of a lot of talks with coaches and instructors along the way, and with the benefit of perhaps his greatest teacher: failure.
Even with that experience, it doesn’t magically take away the anxiousness that can creep in during those potentially game-changing at-bats.
“Absolutely. Sometimes,” O’Hearn said. “One you get to this level, dealing with nerves is one of the biggest things. Everybody here can play. Sometimes the pressure will get to you. As you get older and do it more and more you get more confident in it.”
O’Hearn has managed to keep a tight grip on that confidence. Since being called up to the majors, O’Hearn has batted .354 with a .425 on-base percentage and a .754 slugging percentage with runners on base to go along with a .300/.349/.500 slash line with runners in scoring position.
“Pitcher’s pitch differently, that’s for sure,” O’Hearn said. “A lot of it has to do with preparation and understanding what that guy wants to do or what he wants to throw you. For me, a lot of it is staying in the big part of the field. If I think stay inside the ball, stay in center field, left-center, right-center, then you can eliminate a lot of the things that happen when you don’t.
“Take a changeup with guy on third and hook a ground ball to second base or first base when playing in, that doesn’t do the job. Versus if your mindset is left-center and you stay inside of it, maybe a pitch is in or gets in on your hands but you flare one to center field or get enough of it to hit a sac fly, it’s little things like that.
With that “understanding” O’Hearn referenced also comes a calmness at the plate. Where he might have swung out of his shoes earlier in his career, he’s now able to shorten up the field and forget about looking for a three-run homer. He’ll “hunt” pitches or locations with the goal of “staying inside the ball” and being extra disciplined.
Sure, he may take a chance if he gets into a really favorable count or he gets the green light to swing away 3-0, but in general his focus remains on getting that man on base in and a run on the board.
“Those at-bats are not personal at-bats,” O’Hearn said. “Those are team at-bats. That’s something that I’ve definitely learned.”
This story was originally published April 6, 2019 at 6:33 PM.
