Baltimore Orioles Young Slugger Ranks Highly in Latest Power Rankings

The Baltimore Orioles have developed players extremely well over the years, and one of those players has quickly become a household name.

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

One of the biggest ways that teams can be successful coming out of a rebuild is through developing their own superstars in the minor leagues, something the Baltimore Orioles have proven they are capable of doing in spades.

From Adley Rutschman to Colton Cowser, the Orioles have developed a plethora of young talent that will lead the franchise to a vast amount of success in the future.

One of the best players the club has developed has been shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who did the exact opposite of having a sophomore slump when he was even better during his second Major League campaign than he was in his rookie season that saw him win the AL Rookie of the Year.

It was a performance that made the shortstop a household name across the baseball world and saw him rank highly in Joel Reuter's shortstop power rankings for Bleacher Report, finishing in second behind only Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals.

"What would Gunnar Henderson do for an encore after winning 2023 AL Rookie of the Year honors unanimously with a 6.2-WAR debut?" asks Reuter, "The answer was put together one of the best seasons ever by a shortstop in his age-23 season, racking up 31 doubles, seven triples, 37 home runs and 21 steals while settling in nicely as the everyday shortstop after bouncing between there and the hot corner as a rookie."

After hitting .255/.325/.489 with 28 home runs, 82 RBI, and a 125 OPS+ across 622 plate appearances in 150 games in 2023, Henderson one-upped himself by hitting .281/.364/.529 with 37 home runs, 92 RBI, and a 159 OPS+ across 719 plate appearances in 159 games in 2024.

Henderson has quickly become one of the most feared bats in MLB, capable of taking any pitcher deep and getting on base at a good clip.

Defensively, the shortstop has proven to not be a problem at one of the most demanding positions, totaling an even zero Outs Above Average at the position this year, ranking 25th among all shortstops, per Baseball Savant.

The Orioles have proven once again they are one of the best in the business at developing superstars, with Henderson being Exhibit A for anyone who is doubtful.