Baltimore Orioles Superstar Shockingly Named Top Shortstop in MLB

The Baltimore Orioles have a superstar on their hands, but is he already the best player at his position in all of MLB?
Sep 17, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) throws to first base during the eighth inning 
against San Francisco Giants  at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
Sep 17, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) throws to first base during the eighth inning against San Francisco Giants at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
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The Baltimore Orioles have some of baseball's top young talent, but is one of them already the sports best player at his position?

MLB's Manny Randhawa recently put together a list of the league's top player at every position. When it came to shortstop, he wrote in Orioles superstar Gunnar Henderson.

There is no doubt Henderson is already one of baseball's most talented players in the middle of the infield. It just happens to be a position stacked with steep competition.

Henderson has gotten better in every season of his career so far (granted it's just over two years). For such a young player to reach the top of his position would say great things for the future in Baltimore.

He posted a full slash line of .281/.364/.529 while also having that 20/20 season with nearly 40 home runs. It doesn't take much thinking to understand why someone might believe him to be the top short.

The only "down side" to his game is he is just average as a defender. He logged a -1 for both OAA and FRV last season.

It has already been a great year for his brand. It was just a couple of days ago that it was announced that he would be one of the players on the cover of this year's "MLB The Show 25."

By the end of this calendar year, Henderson could be an undeniable household name.

There were four shortstops within the Top 10 overall position players in terms of WAR. It was Kansas City Royals megastar Bobby Witt at the second overall spot. Henderson came in at fifth-overall with New York Mets' Francisco Lindor right behind him at sixth. Even Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds just cracked the list at ninth.

Witt is who most people would consider to be the best shortstop in baseball. He posted a .332/.389/.588 line with 32 home runs and 31 stolen bases. If it weren't for Aaron Judge, he would have been the AL MVP.

On top of the better numbers at the plate, he is one of the best defensive players at the position as well.

Lindor is also inarguably one of the most valuable players in baseball. He is an elite defensive player who is well-rounded with a bat and shows up in clutch moments.

De La Cruz is a step behind these others. He has so much potential that he could still take another huge leap and it would not be surprising.

Even if Henderson isn't the best player right now, it is good company to be with and he could still help his case even more in 2025.


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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders