SARASOTA, Fla. -- Baseball players around MLB have reported to Spring Training, many of them claiming to be in the “best shape of my life.” It’s a popular phrase uttered in every camp every year.
There may not be any baseball player in better shape than Tyler O'Neill. The Orioles’ new outfielder is jacked, and those at the Ed Smith Stadium complex have taken note.
“I’m a little concerned about his diet. I think there’s a little too much carbs,” manager Brandon Hyde joked. “No, I saw him with some cutoff sleeves [recently], and I’m happy to report he’s in good shape coming into camp. ... I think he does a pretty good job of that. He’s obviously really strong, and he likes to wear tight shirts. So it’s noticeable.”
“Definitely in shape,” said a grinning Ryan Mountcastle, O’Neill’s spring lockermate.
“He’s got a lot of muscle,” outfielder Colton Cowser said.
It’s not too surprising that O’Neill’s 5-foot-11, 200-pound physique has been filled out with muscles atypical for most baseball players since before he arrived in the big leagues in 2018, when he played for St. Louis. His father, Terry, was an accomplished bodybuilder who was named Mr. Canada in 1975.
That’s not the only fun tidbit from O’Neill’s 29-year life, either. He’s had quite an interesting path from his hometown of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, to the Orioles, who signed the seven-year MLB veteran to a three-year, $49.5 million deal over the offseason.
The first sport that O’Neill played was ice hockey, which he picked up at quite an early age. He’s still a fan and will be rooting for Canada in the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off championship game, also featuring the United States, on Thursday night.
“I was taking skating lessons really early, pretty much as soon as I could walk. And I started playing probably around 4 or 5 years old,” O’Neill said. “It was my first love. I think every kid in Canada dreams of being an NHL hockey player, just like myself. I was always pretty good at it, but I picked up baseball kind of later on and just kind of had a knack for that.”
O’Neill’s baseball career began around the age of 10. It didn’t take long for him to have offensive success. He wasn’t as buff at that point, obviously, but he still was quite proficient with a bat in his hands.
“I could just hit, man. I don’t know,” O’Neill said. “It wasn’t, like, easy for me, but it was fun and natural to play.”
After playing in provincial tournaments -- the equivalent of state tourneys in the U.S. -- and games at the national level in high school, O’Neill’s baseball career took off. He became the first (and only) person out of Garibaldi Secondary School to be chosen in the MLB Draft when the Mariners selected him in the third round in 2013.
O’Neill was traded to the Cardinals in 2017, then stayed in their organization until he was dealt to the Red Sox ahead of the ‘24 season, when he slugged 31 homers in 113 games.
So, the big question is: When did O’Neill start to get absolutely ripped?
“I probably started getting in the gym once I got to high school, getting a little more serious with it. I was obviously very grateful to have a background there with my parents,” O’Neill said. “I had a good structure and understood discipline at an early age, and it just kind of took off from there.
“Kind of became my DNA, what keeps me consistent and keeps me good, being a better person, better player, in that weight room. And it just started to translate for me. I put on some weight. Obviously, my power went up with the bat. And it just went from there.”
O’Neill didn’t have too hard of a decision once the offseason arrived and the Orioles expressed interest. He said he felt like he was always “chasing Baltimore” in the American League East while playing for Boston last season and was impressed by the team’s young core.
The O’s plan to frequently start the right-handed-hitting O’Neill, who can handle either corner-outfield spot and can also fill in at center in a pinch.
“He’s great. He’s a guy that’s been there, and he’s played at a high level,” Cowser said. “From what I’ve learned and talked to him, he knows what he wants to do and what he wants to accomplish, and he’s definitely willing to share some of those things. Just being in the cage with him and out in the outfield and being around him, it’s been great.”