Ryan Shea McKenna (born February 14, 1997) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021. Listed at and , he bats and throws right-handed.

Early life

McKenna was born on February 14, 1997, in

Grants Pass, Oregon Grants Pass is the county seat of Josephine County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on Interstate 5, northwest of Medford, along the Rogue River. The population was 39,189 at the 2020 census. History Early Hudson's Bay Company hunt ...

, to parents Marty and Marlene. Although he was born in Oregon, his family moved to Berwick, Maine when he was young. His father coached him from tee-ball through his freshman year. While in the seventh grade, McKenna joined his older brother on his high schools varsity baseball team.

Amateur career

McKenna attended

Portsmouth Christian Academy Portsmouth Christian Academy (PCA) is a private non-denominational Christian school in Dover, New Hampshire, United States. It is the largest non-denominational Christian school in New England and is located on a riverfront campus in Dover. The s ...

(PCA) in Dover, New Hampshire, as a freshman before transferring to St. Thomas Aquinas High School. Within his second week at St. Thomas, his coach received phone calls from colleges inquiring about his post-secondary aspirations. In his sophomore season, McKenna committed to attend Liberty University on a 40 percent college baseball scholarship after attending one of their summer training camps. He later stated that the majority of that decision rested on their Judeo-Christian values. He then gained national attention after batting .308 with five stolen bases in the Area Code Games and performing well during the East Coast Pro Showcase. During his junior year with the St. Thomas Saints, McKenna, batted .551 and drove in 31 runs. In his senior year, McKenna hit .452 with five extra-base hits despite missing five of his team's 16-regular-season games due to a strained hamstring. He returned to help the St. Thomas Saints in the Division II tournament before they were upset by 11th-seeded John Stark of Weare in the tournament's preliminary round.

Professional career

The Baltimore Orioles selected McKenna in the fourth round of the 2015 MLB draft, making him the first New England high school player chosen in the draft. He subsequently signed with the Orioles and made his professional debut with the

Gulf Coast Orioles The Florida Complex League Orioles are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Before 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Orioles. The team plays its home ...

of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, playing in only ten games due to an ankle injury. In 2016, he played for the Aberdeen IronBirds of the Low-A

New York-Penn League New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

, and batted .241 in 62 games. He played for the Delmarva Shorebirds of the Single-A South Atlantic League in 2017 where he batted .256 with seven home runs and 42 RBIs in 126 games. McKenna began the 2018 season with the Frederick Keys of the High-A Carolina League, and earned a midseason promotion to the

Bowie Baysox The Bowie Baysox are a Minor League Baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League. Their home ballpark is Prince George's Stadium. History From 1989 to 1992, ...

of the Double-A Eastern League. After the 2018 season, he played for the Glendale Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League. He returned to Bowie to start the 2019 season. McKenna was added to the Orioles 40–man roster following the 2019 season. McKenna did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 5, 2021, McKenna was promoted to the major leagues for the first time to fill in for Austin Hays, who was dealing with a hamstring strain. He made his MLB debut that day as the starting right fielder against the New York Yankees. He collected his first major league hit on April 11, a triple off of Nick Pivetta of the Boston Red Sox. On July 25, McKenna collected his first career home run with a solo shot off of Washington Nationals starter

Paolo Espino Paolo Alesandro Espino Alonso (born January 10, 1987), is a Panamanian professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has played in MLB for the Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers. Career Cleveland ...

. On April 1, 2023, in a game against the Boston Red Sox, McKenna dropped a Masataka Yoshida fly ball with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th inning and the Orioles ahead by 1 run. Catching the ball would have ended the game and given the Orioles the win. Baltimore, leading 7–1 at one point, would lose the game after the next batter, Adam Duvall, hit a walk-off 2-run homerun two pitches later off of Félix Bautista.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mckenna, Ryan Living people 1997 births People from Berwick, Maine Baseball players from Maine Major League Baseball outfielders Baltimore Orioles players Gulf Coast Orioles players Aberdeen IronBirds players Delmarva Shorebirds players Frederick Keys players Bowie Baysox players Glendale Desert Dogs players