Minutes after the Orioles?selected Heston?Kjerstad?with the second overall pick in MLB Draft, the slugging outfielder learned he wasn¡¯t the only member of his household who became a household name Wednesday. As the initial celebration wound down, a friend alerted?Kjerstad?to a video circulating on social media. It showed the?Kjerstad?home erupting in cheers at the news of his selection, in what¡¯s become a time-honored tradition at the top of the Draft.??
But the focus was peculiar. Toward the bottom-right?part?of the shot,?the?one non-human subject?in the room?wiggled in the arms of?Kjerstad¡¯s?mother, Jody, while she clapped. By the time?Kjerstad?reached to his left it was too late. Their family dog had scurried off the couch and into overnight internet fame.
Who is the Kjerstads' furry little friend?
¡°Her name is Oreo,¡± Kjerstad explained later. ¡°When she was little, she had a black head and a black spot on her backside. She looked like a double-stuffed Oreo, so we went with it.¡±
Thus revealing the cuddliest, most alliterative little nugget of the first night of the 2020 MLB Draft -- the Orioles¡¯ latest top pick has a dog named Oreo. And he¡¯s claiming ownership.
¡°It¡¯s actually my parents¡¯ dog, but it¡¯s basically mine now since I¡¯ve been back [home] over break,¡± Kjerstad said. ¡°I became her favorite.¡±
Recounting the moment later, Kjerstad smiled when saying, ¡°I guess she was feeding off everyone¡¯s energy in the room and got excited.¡± By that point, a parody Twitter account had been created in honor of Oreo, who is believed to be a sheepadoodle. She is now the latest in a line of Oriole dogs to achieve social media fame in recent months, from the puppy Adley Rutschman posed with in Spring Training to the adopted mutt Trey Mancini cradles during quarantine workouts.
It may be years before the Orioles know what kind of player Kjerstad, a power-hitting right fielder from the University of Arkansas, turns out to be. But his pup is already a hit.