SAD SHOCKING NEWS:Gunnar Henderson fired by team Baltimore..
BALTIMORE – Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson has quickly become one of the most dangerous leadoff hitters in his second full season in the big leagues.
He proved again on Sunday that he’s the engine that gets the offense started.
Henderson, the 22-year-old Alabama native, hit his fifth leadoff home run of the season in the Orioles’ 6-3 win over the Seattle Mariners at Camden Yards.
He also hit a leadoff home run in their 9-2 win over Seattle in the first game of the series on Friday.
“He’s fantastic,” Mariners’ Luke Raley said about Henderson. “Not only is his hitting awesome, but he’s a really good defensive shortstop. A guy that can hit like that at shortstop is a really nice thing to have.”
Henderson is batting .270 and leads baseball with 15 home runs through two months.
“Who would say they don’t want to be at the top with home runs in the major leagues? I am just going out there and trying to help the team win, and if homers come with it, so be it,” Henderson said.
“That’s 15 homers in less than two months from a guy that’s in his second full year in the big leagues,” added Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. “It’s pretty amazing,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “He’s one of the best players in this game right now.”
Henderson was selected in the second round of the 2019 baseball draft.
Last season, he won American League Rookie of the Year and won a Silver Slugger Award after he hit 28 home runs with 82 RBIs and a .255 batting average.
The Orioles (29-15) open a three-game series in St. Louis on Monday. They trail the New York Yankees by two games in the American League East.
Gunnar Henderson already has one impressive trophy on his mantle. The Baltimore Orioles shortstop is playing like he might add an even bigger award this season.
Henderson looks like a strong candidate for American League Most Valuable Player a little more than a quarter of the way through the season. The 23-year-old is tied for the major league lead with 15 home runs to go with a .270/.348/.598 slash line through 44 games.
“He’s a great player who continues to get better,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “I almost don’t know what else to say about him. Nothing he does surprises me.”
Henderson was the AL Rookie of the Year last season when he helped lead the Orioles to their first AL East title since 2014 and first postseason berth since 2016. Henderson was the unanimous pick by a 30-member panel of Baseball Writers Association of America members after hitting .255/.325/.489 with 28 homers and 10 stolen bases in 150 games.
Gunnar Henderson already has one impressive trophy on his mantle. The Baltimore Orioles shortstop is playing like he might add an even bigger award this season.
Henderson looks like a strong candidate for American League Most Valuable Player a little more than a quarter of the way through the season. The 23-year-old is tied for the major league lead with 15 home runs to go with a .270/.348/.598 slash line through 44 games.
“He’s a great player who continues to get better,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “I almost don’t know what else to say about him. Nothing he does surprises me.”
Henderson was the AL Rookie of the Year last season when he helped lead the Orioles to their first AL East title since 2014 and first postseason berth since 2016. Henderson was the unanimous pick by a 30-member panel of Baseball Writers Association of America members after hitting .255/.325/.489 with 28 homers and 10 stolen bases in 150 games.
The scary part of Henderson’s start in 2024 is that he says he feels much more confident than he did at this point a year ago.
“I honestly feel a lot looser this year than I did last year,” Henderson said. “I feel freer, like I have nothing to lose.”
Losing is something the Orioles have rarely done in the last two seasons. They had an AL-best 101 wins last year and are 29-15 this season, good for second place in the division, two games behind the New York Yankees.
Catcher Adley Rutschman has been considered the face of the Orioles’ franchise since breaking into the major leagues in 2022, three years after being the first overall pick in the amateur draft from Oregon State. He finished ninth in the AL MVP voting last year in his first full major-league season.
Triple-A Norfolk second baseman Jackson Holliday is expected to challenge Rutschman as the franchise face someday. The 20-year-old was overmatched in his first major-league action this season, though, going 2 for 34 in 10 games. However, Holliday is still generally considered the best prospect in baseball.
However, Henderson might end up having the best career of the three.
There was some question when he arrived in the major leagues if Henderson would be consistent enough defensively to be a regular shortstop. Indeed, he split time almost evenly between that position and third base last year.
Henderson had 10 defensive runs saved as a shortstop last season, though, and three this year while playing the position exclusively.
“His overall game has improved defensively, and Gunnar is really athletic and he’s becoming more consistent with making the routine play with his feet and his throwing,” Hyde said. “He’s only going to get better.”
