Position Change Won't Be Coming for Baltimore Orioles Superstar

Despite some defensive struggles, the Baltimore Orioles won't be shifting the position of their superstar player.

Oct 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) looks out from the dugout against the Kansas City Royals in game one of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles have already begun making changes to their organization this offseason after being eliminated from the playoffs early for the second straight year.

2023 was a surprising run by all metrics considering how young the roster was and how low the expectations were for the team coming off a fourth place finish in the division in 2022 and six straight seasons with a losing record before that campaign.

However, this past year felt different.

Not only did the Orioles go out and land an elite starting pitcher to become the ace of their staff, but their young rising stars had another season of experience and felt like they could all take the next step in their careers.

For the most part, that was largely true.

Unfortunately, the back half of the campaign saw some issues arise that carried over into their Wild Card matchup.

So, Baltimore went back to the drawing board when it comes to their staff as they prepare for a free agency cycle where they could lose two of their best players.

But as the roster decisions linger, one they won't entertain is moving Gunnar Henderson out of shortstop despite him having some defensive issues during his first year as the full-time starter at that position.

"It's much too early to know the Orioles' plans but I don’t anticipate any moves. They're committed to Henderson at short and aren't going to overreact to his miscues in his first full season at the position," writes Roch Kubatko of MASN.

The only reason this was floated as a possibility is because of the 25 errors he committed.

Henderson is still learning to play shortstop at the Major League level, especially after the Orioles rotated him between short and third base during his rookie season in 2023.

Although the errors are certainly something that needs to get figured out, his advanced metrics suggest he is a much better defender than he was given credit for this past year.

According to Baseball Savant, he was worth zero Outs Above Average which put him right at league average, but per Baseball Reference, his defensive war was 1.5, showcasing how he provided more than adequate defense in the field.

There is always the possibility that Baltimore could eventually shift Henderson's position if the errors keep piling up, moving him to third base and having Jackson Holliday take over at shortstop with Jordan Westburg shifting to second, but that doesn't seem to be in the plans right now.

The Orioles are continuing to work with Holliday at his new position, something they think he will adjust to and become a plus-defender eventually.

Henderson just needs some more time at shortstop before making a definitive statement about if he can be a solid defender there for his career, something Baltimore is more than willing to give him.