If there was ever a time Gunnar Henderson’s eyes grew giant, soaking in his environment with confident stoicism, it got here when the Orioles rookie stepped contained in the Green Monster in Boston and ducked his head underneath the low-hanging concrete ceiling.
His eyes widened then, adjusting to the darkish whereas additionally taking within the historical past of these autograph-covered partitions. He’d add his identify — simply Gunnar — to the ceiling, then seemed round once more. Here he was, a month into his main league profession, standing the place so many greats had stood earlier than.
And he belonged.
There had been few moments Henderson seemed the slightest bit flustered this season over the 34 video games he performed for the Orioles. When he first arrived on the finish of August in Cleveland, he lounged on the sofa along with his different rookie teammates after which blasted his first main league residence run. On his return to Baltimore, he wasn’t anxious in regards to the standing ovation he obtained at Camden Yards or the scrum of reporters hovering round his locker.
The 21-year-old from Selma, Alabama, not solely seemed the half — he acted it. So getting into the offseason after his first style of the majors, Henderson isn’t tempering expectations for what he’s able to reaching subsequent 12 months.
“I feel like I can do as well as Rookie of the Year,” Henderson mentioned. “I feel like just putting in the right work and putting myself in the right position. But that only comes from the work that you put in, so you get what you put in.”
Henderson has skilled a fast rise by way of the Orioles’ group. A second-round draft pick of John T. Morgan Academy in 2019, Henderson rose from Low-A Delmarva to Double-A Bowie inside the 2021 season.
That late-season promotion to the Baysox resulted in solely 17 plate appearances, however Henderson credit that chance as a springboard to the next season. The Orioles’ top-ranked prospect exploded onto the scene in 2022, breezing by way of Double-A with a 1.025 OPS earlier than posting an .894 OPS in Triple-A.
That earned Henderson a call-up Aug. 31, an injection of life right into a Baltimore batting order that tapered off towards the tip of the season, with sudden playoff aspirations dwindling to an in depth. Since his promotion, solely Ryan Mountcastle (.278) and Adley Rutschman (.263) hit higher than Henderson’s .259 common. With runners in scoring place, Henderson hit .316, behind Rougned Odor (.350) and Mountcastle (.346).
Henderson completed the season with 18 RBIs on prime of sturdy protection at third and shortstop. But he received’t relaxation on the laurels of his partial season — not along with his lofty targets for subsequent 12 months.
“I have the self confidence that I’ll be able to do it,” Henderson mentioned of the Rookie of the Year award. “I’m not going to sit there and preach it, cause that’s just not who I am. I’m not going to be cocky about it. But I like to have that in my head to just motivate me through the offseason, and just have that sitting above it, because I always like to have something to motivate you.”
For as promising as Henderson’s first stint within the main leagues seemed, he acknowledged that he’ll concentrate on enhancing towards left-handed pitching this offseason. Against righties, Henderson hit .290. That dipped to .130 in left-on-left matchups.
And whereas he recorded a .371 batting common towards four-seam fastballs, Henderson hit .105 towards sliders, based on Statcast. In the batting cage he constructed behind his household’s residence in Selma, Henderson plans to see left-on-left offspeed choices a lot this offseason in a bid to refine probably the most noticeable defect from his first 34 video games as an Oriole.
Next 12 months, even visits to a number of the most iconic venues in baseball received’t enlarge Henderson’s eyes. He’s been right here, achieved that. And if his offseason goes as deliberate and he makes use of his 34 video games as a launchpad into 2023, Henderson hopes to be among the many finest rookies in baseball.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com