BEST OF THE NEST

Gunnar Henderson’s breakthrough season positions him as one of the Orioles’ future faces of the franchise

- JOSH NORRIS

It’s difficult to believe, but the summer of 2020 was a crucial step in Gunnar Henderson’s education as a professional ballplayer.

After getting his feet wet in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League the year before, Henderson’s natural progression would have taken him to Low-A.

Instead, the minor league season was canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving thousands of prospects to train remotely until the fall, when instructional leagues were given the go-ahead.

Henderson was more fortunate. Drafted by the Orioles in the second round in 2019 out of high school in Selma, Ala., the shortstop was part of a group of prospects and veterans selected to head to the Orioles’ alternate training site in Bowie, Md., home of the organization’s Double-A affiliate. 

Instead of facing pitchers more in line with his experience level, Henderson got at-bats against some of the more advanced arms in Baltimore’s system.

Every day, he got to face pitchers like current big leaguers Kyle Bradish, DL Hall, Dean Kremer and Dillon Tate, as well as righthander Grayson Rodriguez, the Orioles’ top pitching prospect and one of the best overall prospects in baseball.

Much like a high school senior auditing college classes in his spare time, Henderson’s days at the alternate site gave him a taste of what was to come. So when the minor leagues resumed as normal in 2021, he was ready. The numbers weren’t eye-popping—he hit .258/.350/.476 with 17 homers—but Henderson still zoomed from Low-A to Double-A in just 105 games.