Baltimore Orioles Star Gunnar Henderson Receives Massive Accolade

Gunnar Henderson has made the Orioles proud with his latest huge accomplishment.

Jun 2, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) during the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Daniel Kucin Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

Gunnar Henderson and the Baltimore Orioles have been a pleasant surprise during the 2024 MLB season. Everyone knew that they were loaded with talent, but no one has been buying the Orioles hype until they could prove that they deserve it.

So far this season, the team has done just that.

At this point in the year, Baltimore holds a 39-21 record and are one of the best teams in baseball. They have shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon and have much more young talent in the minor leagues that provides hope of a dominant future.

Now, Henderson has stolen the spotlight for the time being with a massive accolade.

As AL.com has reported, Henderson has officially won the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Professional Athlete of the Year. He is the first non-NFL player to win the award since 2017. The last time an MLB player won the award was back in 2012 when Craig Kimbrel took home the honors.

In a quote shared by AL.com, Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde had major praise to heap on his young star shortstop. The quote came from a month ago.

“I’m running out of adjectives, honestly. I need to start bringing a thesaurus when I’m getting interviewed about Gunnar. It’s unbelievable what he’s doing and how good he is -- in every single way. There’s not one thing that he’s not really good at, and he’s 22 years old.”

Throughout the 2024 MLB season thus far, Henderson has put up monstrous numbers. He has hit for a .264 average to go along with 19 home runs and 42 RBI's. Henderson truly has become one of the most feared bats in baseball.

At just 22 years of age, Henderson has plenty of room to continue growing. He has yet to even scratch the surface of his full potential.

Needless to say, he is going to be one of the main faces of the Orioles' franchise for years to come. He already has the franchise back on track towards competing for a World Series win. Hopefully, that World Series win will come this season.

While this is an impressive accomplishment for the young star, there is no question that he has his eyes set on something bigger. It seems likely that an MLB MVP award will be heading his way at some point in his career.

Like we've said, the future is bright in Baltimore. The presence of Henderson is a big part of that outlook and it wil be fun to watch him continue developing and improving his game.