Baltimore Orioles 'Golden Batter' Would Be Shortstop Gunnar Henderson

The Baltimore Orioles have a clear choice in who their "Golden Batter" would be in their superstar shortstop.

Sep 25, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) breaks his bat hitting a single against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles would not have much deliberating to do if MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred came out today and said, "We are instituting the 'Golden Batter' rule for the 2025 season."

It is something that the owners have discussed of late, albeit not to implement as soon as 2025, and it would change the entire landscape of Major League Baseball.

For those unaware, the "Golden Batter" or "Golden At-Bat" rule would allow a team to let any player on their roster hit at any time once a game, even if they are already in the lineup and it is not their turn to do so.

Think back to the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where the final out of the whole shebang came down to (then) teammates Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. It could be that situation but on a per-game basis.

For the Orioles, their "Mike Trout" in that scenario would be none other than their superstar shortstop, Gunnar Henderson.

For his career, Henderson has batted .268/.346/.504 with 69 home runs, 192 RBI, and a 141 OPS+ across 1,473 plate appearances in 343 games, easily the best hitter on the team throughout his three-year tenure in the Majors.

A runner on third with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of a tie game and at the bottom of the lineup? Nah, here comes Henderson instead of Cedric Mullins.

The "Golden Batter" is a concept that the Savannah Bananas instituted into their exhibition games, along with all of the other wacky rules they have. For instance, the batter is out if a fan in the stands catches a foul ball.

Also, if there is a base on balls, the batter must sprint to first base and advance as far as they can while the defense throws the ball around to each fielder before they can attempt to make the out.

This fits great into what the Bananas do, which is mix baseball and entertainment that allows them to sell out ballparks around the country. But, in an MLB game, these things likely wouldn't go over well.

Manfred did clarify that the concept is only in the very early stages of discussion among himself and the owners. Even with how much baseball has changed during Manfred's tenure as commissioner, this may be a step too far.

Regardless of whether this does come to be or not, it is still a fun discussion to have and an interesting exercise to think of who the "Golden Batter" would be for each team.

For Baltimore, it would not take too much time to think before coming to the foregone conclusion of Gunnar Henderson.