Ryan O’Hearn

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #15 prospect in 2018
  Being sent down a level during the season is usually looked at as a negative, but O'Hearn's move from Omaha after 114 games in Triple-A was done just to keep him getting consistent at-bats while making room for more experienced players at the Triple-A level. Regardless, it was a solid year in which he hit 22 homeruns for the second straight season. His hand strength and average or better bat speed allow O'Hearn to get to his plus raw power in games, and he isn't baffled by lefthanded pitching. He gets too much weight transfer to his front side at times and struggles with his timing, and he needs to improve his consistency of contact to reach his projection of at least an average hitter. He's an adequate defender at first base, with average hands but below-average range. O'Hearn occasionally takes a turn in a corner outfield spot, but his well-below-average speed makes him a subpar defender there. O'Hearn has a high floor as a big league power bat, but h
• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #8 prospect in 2017
  Scouts frequently complain that college baseball encourages hitters to focus too much on contact and not enough on driving the ball. O'Hearn is one of their prime examples, as he went from a singles hitter at Sam Houston State to a slugger in pro ball. He hit a home run every 60 at-bats in college but one every 20 at-bats as a pro. O'Hearn's power comes from strength and leverage. His bat speed is average at best, which leads to some concerns. His plus raw power plays in games though, giving him a chance to hit 25 home runs in an everyday big league role. The Royals have emphasized getting O'Hearn to use the entire field and he responded. After hitting two home runs the opposite way to left field in 2015, he hit nine to left in 2016 O'Hearn is an average defender at first base. He does a good job of scooping low throws, though his range is limited. The Royals have worked to get him time in left field as well, but he's well below-average in the outfield largely because he is a well below-average runner. With Eric Hosmer heading into his final year before free agency. O'Hearn is the best homegrown option to earn to a starting job in Kansas City in 2018 He still has work to do in Triple-A this year to prove he is more than a minor league slugger.
• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #14 prospect in 2016
  Even though he left after the all-star break, O'Hearn led the low Class A South Atlantic League with 19 home runs. He's hit 40 home runs in his first season and a half as a pro, but had just 47 extra-base hits in 180 college games. Watching O'Hearn now, it's unfathomable that he was ever was a singles hitter. O'Hearn has plus-plus raw power and plus productive power. The hit tool has to catch up to the power. While he has a healthy confidence in the batter's box, he could tone down the aggressiveness at times. O'Hearn looks for pitches to drive, but it wouldn't hurt him to shorten up when he's facing a two-strike count. His swing is big, with a significant load and he uses his lower half well. O'Hearn is an average defender at first with good hands but limited range. He's an emergency option in left field but he's well below-average there thanks to below-average speed. O'Hearn's power that profiles at first base, but he'll need to cut the strikeouts ensure he hits for enough average to get to his power.
• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #25 prospect in 2015
  25 RYAN O'HEARN, 1B After O'Hearn hit .262 with little power as a junior, the Royals sensed they might be among the few who still believed in his bat. They told O'Hearn, their 2014 eighth-round pick, to trust his power as a pro, and he responded by hitting 13 home runs at Rookie-level Idaho Falls to win Pioneer League MVP honors. (He hit just four bombs in three college seasons.) O'Hearn's compact swing and all-fields approach actually is more geared to spraying the ball around, but his power allows some of those line drives to clear the fence. O'Hearn is an average defender at first base who also is a playable, if below-average, right fielder.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #307 prospect in 2014 draft
  O'Hearn wasn't drafted after a boffo high school career that included a second-team All-America performance as a senior outfielder. (Other second-reamers included Joey Gallo and Jose Fernandez.) He's been a three-year starter for Sam Houston State and was the Bearkats' top run producer as a junior. He has played primarily first base this season and will go as far as his bat takes him. O'Hearn has natural rhythm to his swing and plus pull power. He's aggressive to a fault and could use a better two-strike approach. He also needs work defensively, where he's below-average at first.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked South Atlantic League #19 prospect in 2015
  O'Hearn has hit 40 home runs in his first year and a half as a pro and is a prospect largely because of his power. This despite the fact that he hit just four home runs in three years at Sam Houston State. O'Hearn's 19 home runs in the SAL tied him for the league lead, even though he was promoted to high Class A Wilmington in mid-July (he hit eight more home runs with the Blue Rocks). No one really question's O'Hearn's ability to hit the ball over the fence. But he also is starting to show a better two-strike approach after failing to shorten up at all for a good bit of the season. Like many lefthanded-hitting power bats, he has to improve his production versus southpaws. O'Hearn's power played largely to the opposite-field in 2014. He began this season emphasizing pulling the ball, but he was best when he was also driving the ball to center field as well. He is an average defender at first base with reliable hands and limited range.
• 
  Ranked Pioneer League #5 prospect in 2014
  Rival PL managers loved to watch O'Hearn work his craft at the plate but also feared the lefthanded slugger when he came to bat against them. Signed for just $125,000, he began his pro career in style, going 5-for-5 in his first pro game. O'Hearn didn't slow down for the rest of the year, earning MVP honors and finishing first in OPS (1.034) and slugging (.590). He squares up the ball with regularity, and he held his own against southpaws because he doesn't try to over-swing. The Idaho Falls coaching staff worked with him on using all fields to temper his pull-first approach. O'Hearn played mostly at first base for Idaho Falls but also got in some time in right field. His defense at first is below-average, with work needed on setting up and getting ready for every pitch. He flashes an average arm in the outfield.

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Scouts frequently complain that college baseball encourages hitters to focus too much on contact and not enough on driving the ball. O'Hearn is one of their prime examples, as he went from a singles hitter at Sam Houston State to a slugger in pro ball. He hit a home run every 60 at-bats in college but one every 20 at-bats as a pro. Scouting Report: O'Hearn's power comes from strength and leverage. His bat speed is average at best, which leads to some concerns. His plus raw power plays in games though, giving him a chance to hit 25 home runs in an everyday big league role. The Royals have emphasized getting O'Hearn to use the entire field and he responded. After hitting two home runs the opposite way to left field in 2015, he hit nine to left in 2016. O'Hearn is an average defender at first base. He does a good job of scooping low throws, though his range is limited. The Royals have worked to get him time in left field as well, but he's well below-average in the outfield largely because he is a well below-average runner.
  
  The Future: With Eric Hosmer heading into his final year before free agency. O'Hearn is the best homegrown option to earn to a starting job in Kansas City in 2018. He still has work to do in Triple-A this year to prove he is more than a minor league slugger.