Inside The Orioles

Baltimore Orioles Superstar Launches Historic Homer Against Rivals

Baltimore Orioles superstar Gunnar Henderson set a new MLB home run record.

Tyler Maher

Apr 27, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) hits a two
Apr 27, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) hits a two / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Another day, another home run for Gunnar Henderson.

Henderson powered the Baltimore Orioles to a 2-0 win over the New York Yankees on Monday night at Camden Yards. He broke the ice with a leadoff homer against Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt in the bottom of the first, giving the Orioles a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Henderson scored the second run of the game as well, coming around to score after getting hit by a pitch in the bottom of the eighth.

His long ball was his 10th of the season, four of which have come in his last six games. With Monday's dinger, the 22-year-old slugger became the youngest player in MLB history to reach 10 home runs before May 1.

Henderson's done most of his damage during the second half of April with seven home runs since April 15. In the 13 games since then, he's batting .352 with 10 extra-base hits, 13 RBIs and 15 runs, coming on strong after a brief slump to start the year.

While he's only in his third season, he has significantly improved his power stroke since debuting in 2022. His Isolated Power has shot up from .181 to .234 to .343, going from good to great to elite.

That trend isn't surprising given the changes in Henderson's batted ball profile. His fly-ball rate has increased every year of his career, while his average exit velocity and hard-hit rate are both way up this season. That's a natural recipe for more home runs.

With only 212 MLB games under his belt, Henderson is still maturing as a hitter. After winning AL Rookie of the Year unanimously last season, he's only gotten better.

As a former No. 1 prospect, Henderson's ceiling is MVP-level. Thanks to his increased pop, he already seems to be reaching it.

Published
Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

Home/News