It was a tremendous week in Birdland. For the last few editions of Three Up, Three Down, we’ve been talking about some uneven performances as the O’s were basically treading water in June following their outstanding April & May. This 5-1 homestand, though, was just what the doctor ordered. After sweeping the lowly Royals and taking two of three from the AL East rival Blue Jays, the Baltimore Orioles once again have the second-best record in all of baseball.
Let’s see who powered the surge, shall we? Some names we certainly wouldn’t have expected to be talking about were pretty important!
Three Up
Guys Nobody Wanted
Perhaps even more than Adam Frazier, Ryan O’Hearn‘s signing this offseason had O’s fans rolling our eyes and asking, “but why?” O’Hearn had been a well below average hitter in KC every year since his impressive rookie year back in 2018, when he hit .262/.353/.597 with 12 HR in 170 PA (153 wRC+). He was a negative fWAR player from 2019-22. However, he’s seemingly found new life in Baltimore, and with Ryan Mountcastle‘s struggles and recent IL stint with vertigo, O’Hearn has stepped up in a huge way. This week, he only had 16 PA, usually too few to make this list, but was so good I had to include (O’)him: .500/.500/1.000, two HR, six runs scored, four RBI, and a ridiculous 326 wRC+.
In 80 plate appearances this season, O’Hearn has a line of .315/.363/.603, with five HR, 19 RBI and the kind of wRC+ (163) that would have him Top 10 in MLB if he had enough AB to qualify (which of course, he doesn’t; small sample size, yadda yadda yadda, I’m just saying!)
Speaking of signings that made us roll our eyes and guys who are benefiting from a change of scenery…Aaron Hicks, ladies and gentlemen!
In 24 PA this homestand, the Yankees castoff hit .300/.417/.550, with a homer, three driven in, four runs scored (170 wRC+), and posted 0.4 fWAR. His streak of reaching base in all 12 games with the Birds came to an end yesterday, but he only had two at-bats after entering as a pinch hitter, so is that really fair to him? Either way, in 13 games as an Oriole, Hicks is batting .333/.447/.590, with two doubles, a triple, two home runs, 10 runs scored, a 189 wRC+, and identical 17.0% BB and K rates.
When he was signed, I mused that he was going to be inexplicably awesome for two weeks. We’ve now passed two weeks. Hopefully Aaron keeps it going.
Gunnar Henderson
Gunnar Henderson kept it going in a big way after heating up on the most recent road trip, giving the fans at Oriole Park at Camden Yards a show this week. The Gunn Show homered in three straight games from Sunday through Tuesday, including one of the furthest Eutaw Street Home Runs ever (there has been some hemming and hawing due to measurement technologies changing over the years), and his first career grand slam. In 26 PA, Henderson hit .462/.462/.846 with the aforementioned three homers, a team-high nine RBI, and two stolen bases. His 266 wRC+ was second to only O’Hearn.
You’ll notice his batting average and OBP were even: in short, Gunnar is being much more aggressive, and it’s working for him. He’s walked only once in June, after walking 27 times in April and 12 times in May. Getting on base is awesome, obviously, but for now, keep swinging, young man!
Henderson’s season line at the moment: .247/.347/.461, 10 HR, 26 RBI, 8 2B, 2 3B, a 125 wRC+, and 1.4 fWAR. His wRC+ and fWAR are now fifth among qualified AL Rookies.
Austin Hays
The team’s third best hitter this week behind O’Hearn and Henderson was Austin Hays, who is quietly putting together a career year. In 27 PA, Hays hit .333/.370/.708 (186 wRC+), with two homers, three doubles, four RBI, and six runs scored. Hays’ 133 wRC+ (.306/.344/.507) for the season has inched ahead of those of Adley Rutschman (131) and the injured Cedric Mullins (132) for the team lead. Hays, who turns 28 on July 5, is finally having the kind of season we all knew he was capable of, now that he’s been able to avoid the injury bug. Here’s to that continuing, and to Hays remaining the steady veteran leader this young team needs.
Honorable Mentions
(deep breath…lot of them after a 5-1 week)
Anthony Santander, Ramon Urias, Adam Frazier, Adley Rutschman, Felix Bautista, Tyler Wells, Keegan Akin, Kyle Bradish, Mike Baumann
Three Down
Austin Voth
From the good Austin to the bad Austin…Austin Voth, who’d rebounded after the dismal start to his 2023 campaign, posting a 3.86 ERA over 14.0 IP in May, had a bad week in some low leverage situations. First, on Saturday, he came in to start the seventh with a 4-1 lead, and walked the first two Royals he faced before striking out the third and being replaced by Cionel Perez. Then, he had a big hand in letting Tuesday’s blowout win over the Blue Jays turn into a bit of a butt-clencher late. Brought in for some mop-up duty with the score 11-2 Birds, Voth got only one out, going: home run, fly out, walk, single, single.
The next day, Voth was placed on the 10-day injured list with right elbow discomfort, his season ERA now sitting at 4.94.
James McCann
While he only had 12 plate appearances, a line of .091/.083/.091 and a wRC+ of -68 is enough to land James McCann DOWN this week. A little production from the backup catcher is a luxury, not a necessity – especially when everyone else is mashing – but it was a luxury the Birds neither needed nor received from McCann over his three starts. They haven’t really gotten it from him all season, as his yearlong numbers are now just .187/.227/.341. That’s approaching 2022 Robinson Chirinos levels of bad (.179/.265/.287).
Just two down this week, which is just fine with me, and I’m guessing with you as well, Birdland.
