Ryan O’Hearn really needed the money.

The home runs were cool, sure, but a week before the South Atlantic League All-Star Game and Home Run Derby in Asheville, North Carolina a decade ago, O’Hearn’s truck had been broken into in Lexington, Kentucky, when playing for the Kansas City Royals’ Single-A affiliate. O’Hearn, then 21, needed to figure out how to pay the deductible for his car insurance — a large expense for a minor league player chasing a major league dream.

O’Hearn just so happened to have an invitation to compete in the South Atlantic League’s Home Run Derby. The prize money was $500. The deductible was also $500. O’Hearn launched homers, beat future major leaguer Rhys Hoskins in the championship round and received a critical check.

“It kind of worked out,” O’Hearn said. “I won the Home Run Derby a week later, and I paid the deductible. I had no money at the time, so it was perfect.”

Ten years on from his Single-A All-Star experience, O’Hearn is a favorite to become a major league All-Star for the first time in his career. He leads in the first round of fan voting at the American League designated hitter position.

Given the long path toward everyday playing time that O’Hearn has traversed, earning a place on the All-Star roster at all would be a special honor. What would make it even cooler would be the chance to compete in this year’s Home Run Derby.

O’Hearn realizes he’s a long-shot choice for the event. He is far from a pure slugger — part of what makes him an All-Star candidate is his plate coverage, opposite-field approach and a mentality that doesn’t revolve around the long ball.

Still, he has 11 home runs to go along with his .874 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.

“I don’t have a ton of home runs, but to go out there and swing the bat in front of 40,000 people, try to hit some homers, I mean, I think that’d be awesome,” O’Hearn said. “Grew up watching the Derby. I don’t necessarily buy into the ‘It can ruin your swing’ type thing. I like to hit home runs in batting practice. I think it would be an incredible experience.”

This year’s Home Run Derby will take place July 14, the night before the All-Star Game, at Truist Park in Atlanta. Eight players will face off in a head-to-head elimination bracket. If those players were chosen purely based on the home run leaderboard, O’Hearn would have no chance. His 11 homers are tied for 59th most in the majors.

But generally, many of the game’s top players sit out. Shohei Ohtani and his 27 long balls? He probably won’t appear. Neither would Aaron Judge, who has 28 homers.

There’s precedent supporting the player with long odds. In 2023, Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman competed after hitting 12 home runs in the first half of the season, yet he wowed with a switch-hitting effort that included 27 homers in a first-round loss. Meanwhile, Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson entered the All-Star break with 28 homers, yet lost in the first round of the 2024 Derby with only 11 balls leaving the yard.

The number of home runs in games doesn’t necessarily translate to Home Run Derby success. There’s simply a different approach to hitting one in a batting practice environment.

“I’ve heard that it’s exhausting, for one, and I think the lower effort the better,” O’Hearn said. “You’ve gotta find that pocket of like, right amount of effort to get the ball over the wall, but also conserve energy and keep the ball spinning correctly in the air, because I think if you overswing, it’s not going to go as well as maybe you think it will.”

Through it all, O’Hearn maintains that he’s not going to get his hopes up yet — either for a place on the American League All-Star team or the opportunity to compete in the Home Run Derby.

He’s won one of these before, though, and the reward money came at exactly the right time. If he can go out in Atlanta for the Home Run Derby, he won’t be thinking about a deductible.

“I would assume I’m not going to be asked,” O’Hearn said. “But if something happens, and they need a guy —" here, O’Hearn paused for dramatic effect “— I’ll be your guy.”