KC Royals will thank former teammate, then try to defeat him in MLB Playoffs

It's a pretty good bet the KC Royals crossed paths with Ryan O'Hearn when they gathered for pre-Wild Card Series activities in Baltimore Monday. A former Royal, O'Hearn now plays for the Orioles, who'll host Kansas City when the two clubs kick off WCS play later today at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

It's also a pretty sure thing the Royals thanked O'Hearn for the part he played Friday in getting them to postseason play for the first time since 2015.

O'Hearn, you'll probably remember, clubbed a two-run homer in the top of the second inning against Minnesota at Target Field. The blast, his 14th round-tripper of the season, gave the Orioles an early lead and, because the Twins never got past those two runs and lost 7-2, they found themselves eliminated from the race for the MLB Playoffs.

That loss put the Royals, who the Braves defeated earlier in the evening, into the playoffs as one of the American League Wild Card winners.

Thanks in no small part, of course, to O'Hearn.

Ryan O'Hearn has come far since his days with the KC Royals

O'Hearn's Kansas City career began with much promise — as a rookie, he slashed .262/.353/.597 with a 153 wRC+, 12 homers, and 30 RBI in 44 games.

But his star soon began to lose, and ultimately lost, its luster. He homered 14 times in 2019, but his line nosedived to an ugly .195/.281/.369. Then, in the next three seasons combined, including the pandemic-truncated 2020 campaign, he managed just 12 homers, drove in only 63 runs, and hit .222 with a 70 OPS+ in 195 games.

Kansas City gave up and sent O'Hearn to Baltimore in a straight player-for-cash deal a few weeks before spring training began last year.

The change did O'Hearn good.

His vastly improved .289/.322/.480 line and then-career high-tying 14 home runs in 112 games made him an Oriole fixture last season. And although his average dropped to .264 this year, his .334 OBP was better, and the homer he hit against the Twins Saturday, his 15th of the year, gave him a new career best.

O'Hearn is a lock for Baltimore's Wild Card roster (the teams have until later today to pick the 26 players they'll use in the best-of-three series) and will surely see some action against his former club, against which he's 6-for-21 with a home run and two RBI in seven games since becoming an Oriole.

But if he homers or otherwise hurts them in the WCS, the Royals won't be thanking him as they undoubtedly did after Friday.

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