12 Days of Prospects: Day 2, Gunnar Henderson
As we continue our 12 days of prospects, our next stop is in Baltimore. Another top prospect who has already made his MLB debut, shortstop Gunnar Henderson is the No. 2 ranked prospect in MLB. Let’s take a look at his 2022 and who Henderson really is.
The Numbers
Scouting grades on 20-80 scale:
- Hit: 60
- Power: 60
- Run: 55
- Arm: 65
- Field: 50
- Overall: 65
What isn’t there to like about Henderson? Throughout the minors, he’s proven he can hit and play elite defense.
In 2022, he split time between Double-A and Triple-A before his MLB call-up. Henderson batted .312 in Double-A and .288 in Triple-A, combining to have a .297 average. While he makes a lot of contact for high average, the power is still well above average, too. He had 19 home runs combined between Double-A and Triple-A and then hit four with the Orioles.
The one thing for Henderson to work on is his strikeout numbers. 116 strikeouts in 112 games in the minors for 2022, and in 2021 he had 143 strikeouts in 105 games. If you’re able to bat .297 even with high strikeout numbers, you’re still doing something right.
The Potential
If Henderson can turn into a 20-30 home run hitter, he’ll be a complete five-tool player. The Orioles are no stranger to developing elite shortstops, Cal Ripken Jr. being the most notable.
The pressure is on to fill those shoes, and it’s not crazy to say Henderson can do it. He’s already an elite defender who’s going to win multiple gold gloves in his career. Scouts believe his size could prevent him from sticking at short, but a 6-foot-2 build with a cannon of an arm is more than enough to be an elite shortstop.
Like said before, if the strikeout numbers go down a little bit and he unlocks his raw power, the Orioles are going to have a superstar for hopefully a long time.
The Verdict
Many fans believe Henderson should be the No. 1 prospect, but now that he’s in the majors I don’t think anyone will care anymore.
The Orioles have arguably the best farm system in MLB, so Henderson isn’t the lone elite prospect for this team. He’s definitely going to become the leader of this young Orioles team, and at 21 years of age, that’s a pretty good accomplishment.
Henderson has been an extremely high-ranked prospect since he was drafted and has only gotten better throughout the minors. He was drafted in 2019, and didn’t play in 2020 because of the pandemic. So, when you think about it, Henderson only played one full season in the minors before getting called up, and you have to be a top-tier prospect to get called up that soon. But that’s how much potential this shortstop has, and MLB fans should be excited to see the future of the Orioles led by Henderson.
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