Despite an influx of young talent, the Baltimore Orioles have not had a Rookie of the Year winner since Gregg Olson in 1989.
However, Gunnar Henderson, the former No. 1 prospect in all of baseball, has firmly established himself in the race after a red hot June and July.
Before June, Rookie of the Year wasn’t even a thought for Henderson, who was hitting .226 with a .339 OBP and .739 OPS. Some Orioles fans were even calling for his demotion to allow him to reset in Triple-A Norfolk.
This was in large part of his high strikeout rate and inability to hit left-handed pitching. Henderson was hitting .131 with an abysmal .448 OPS and 31% strikeout rate against lefties during that time. The only glimmer of hope Orioles fans had to grasp was that he was still drawing walks and mustering competitive at-bats even if they weren’t leading to hits.
However, since June 1, Henderson has raised his average against lefties to .256, posted a .766 OPS and dropped his strikeout rate to just 16.6%. Those adjustments, on top of the fact he never had a problem hitting righties, have catapulted him back into the Rookie of the Year conversation.
His .908 OPS and 14 home runs both rank first among AL rookies since June 1 (min. 160 PA). His 3.4 WAR also tops all AL rookies, and cutting down the strikeouts have made him arguably the best hitter in a sneaky good Orioles offense have turned Henderson into the player O’s fans thought he could be and will make the final stretch of the 2023 season a fun one to watch.
Houston Astros right-hander Hunter Brown and Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas have an outside shot, but the two guys Henderson is competing with are Boston outfielder Masataka Yoshida and Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung.
Jung’s hot start made him an early favorite, but even with that, Henderson has a higher OPS, higher OBP, and just three fewer homers in 75 less at-bats.
Yoshida has flown under the radar all year but is an on-base machine with his .307 average, .366 OBP, and .847 OPS all rank ahead of Gunnar, but Henderson has seven more homers in 28 less at-bats. Yoshida’s ability to get on base will entice voters, but Henderson has much better plate discipline, as shown by his 11.2% walk rate, and hits for more power.
There are still two months of baseball to be played, but Gunnar Henderson has helped completely turn things around in Baltimore. Will his hot summer be enough to catch Jung or Yoshida, or was his cold start too much to overcome?
Where do you think Henderson stands in the AL Rookie of the Year race? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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