Re-living the experience of watching the 2024 Most Valuable Oriole in the Minor Leagues
*Cover Photo Credit: John Topoleski
I do not recall Gunnar Henderson being an incredibly recognized prospect during his early days in the organization. While prized first round picks Adley Rutschman and Heston Kjerstad received incomparable approval of critics and fans as they deserved to, Henderson, a second round pick out of high school, continued to play under-the-radar.
He finally rose as MLB Pipeline's top prospect during the final third of the 2022 season, and he finally began getting the attention that he deserved. However, I already knew long before then what Henderson was capable of, and I was already promoting his brand as a player to friends, family, and fans alike.
Now a full-grown phenom in the big leagues, he is everything and more that I predicted him to be. He is the same powerful, fun-loving athlete that we all know and love today that he was in the Minor Leagues.
This is my experience of watching Gunnar Henderson in Minor League Baseball.
Entering the 2022 season, Henderson was ranked as the Orioles' No. 3 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He was looking to follow up a solid 2021 campaign that saw him post an .826 OPS. He had slugged .476, popped 17 home runs, and collected 74 RBI in just 105 games split across three levels in Low-A Delmarva, High-A Aberdeen, and Double-A Bowie.
Henderson was assigned to the Baysox to start the 2022 season. Since I had a ticket package that season and since that I would be a frequent visitor at Prince George's Stadium, this meant that I would be getting consistent, exclusive up-close looks at Henderson on the field. You darn know that I studied him hard and closely at those Baysox games.
The first thing that stood out to me was his personality. He always smilled and he looked like he was genuinly having a blast on the baseball field, whether he was in the infield or whether he was getting loose before the game. His infectious positivity carried over into the fans, and he had no problem interacting with us. Before and after each game, everyone that wanted an autograph received one. Nobody was left out.
He and I were both 20 at the time, and it is not often that you find people in their early 20s with their heads on straight like Gunnar and I. He was geniunly one of the most polite, respectful, and delightful people that I had ever met inside that stadium.
Of course, how could I forget thefriendly battle that he got into with my friend about who the bigger Motley Crue fan was? This was when he still used the band's hit classic "Kickstart My Heart" as his walk-up song.
He was a gentleman, and I mean that wholeheartedly.
Then, there was his play on the field. I recall that for the first four or five games of the season that I was at, Henderson hit a home run. His swing was quick and powerful, but it was nothing more than his hands were simply quick and short to the ball. He could work a home run to all parts of the field, but he could also do the little things right with his offense. Whether he took an outside fastball against the shift for a single or whether he pulled a gapper for extra bases, he did the little things right.
He had the best left-handed swing that I had seen all season.
His defense was not to be neglected either. Development coach and defense extraordinaire Tim DeJohn shuffled his defense around everyday, meaning that Henderson was getting reps everywhere in the infield. He handled each position very well, though I primarily saw him at second base. Wherever he played, I observed that he had good range, good hands, a solid arm, and durability thanks to outstanding player development.
Between his skillset on the field and his lovable personality, all I could do was root for Henderson. All I did was tell fans about how special this phenom from Alabama was going to be. At this point, all I ever wanted for Henderson was for him to go big, play hard, and be a key factor into the Orioles' next playoff push.
He represented the Oriole Way before he even made his Major League debut.
Henderson ended up hitting .312 in 47 games for the Baysox. He clobbered 8 home runs for Bowie, stole 12 bases, slugged .573, and posted a stupid 1.025 OPS. Eventually, he got promoted to Triple-A Norfolk while I stayed behind waiting for him to splash right into Oriole Park at Camden Yards. He eventually did that August.
It is now 2024, and the Orioles have a 100-win season and a divisional championship since his arrival. He took home the 2023 American League Rookie of the Year award and he appeared in both the 2024 All-Star Game and the Home Run Derby this summer. His skillset has only gotten stronger since becoming a big leaguer, and the panorama around him is real. He is recognized as one of the game's top 100 players, widely respected by critics but widely feared by opponents. There is no doubt that he will enter some serious American League MVP talks within the next few years.
Most importantly, he is the same enthusiastic, friendly guy that I recall from Bowie. He is still smilling and he continues to show what it means to have fun in a sport that has so many challenges and roadblocks. He is adored by fans, and he gives the love right back to them. You can still find him being involved with Orioles fans and signing autographs.
Gunnar Henderson is the superstar that I predicted him to be, and he is the Oriole Way.
Thank God I got to see where it all began in the Minor Leagues when he was just learning to fly.
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