Who is Gunnar Henderson?

Gunnar Henderson proved himself at each stop in the Minor Leagues despite always being one of the youngest players for his level, and punctuated his arrival with an impressive debut down the stretch in 2022 with the Orioles. Here's what you need to know about MLB's No. 1 overall prospect as he enters his first full season as a fixture in Baltimore's infield.

FAST FACTS
MLB organization: Orioles
Birthdate: June 29, 2001 (Age 22 in 2023)
Primary position: SS/3B
Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 220 lbs.
Bats/throws: Left/right
Hometown: Montgomery, Ala.
School(s): Morgan (Ala.) HS
Drafted: Second round, 42nd overall, 2019 (by BAL)
MLB Debut: August 31, 2022

Born to play

A competitive fire was instilled in Henderson from a young age. He and his older brother, Jackson, grew up playing against one another in an array of sports. Eventually, Gunnar took his athleticism and zeal for competition every day to the baseball field that his father built in their backyard in Selma, Ala.

That is the quick version of Henderson's baseball origin story. From those beginnings rose a tooled-up middle infielder who most often gets compared to Rangers star Corey Seager, and may be the Orioles' best defensive infield prospect since Manny Machado.

Henderson has received above-average scouting grades from MLB Pipeline nearly across the board, and those tools have been on display consistently over the past two seasons. Henderson bashed 17 homers and recorded 16 steals in 2021 before tallying 23 and 23, respectively, between the Majors and Minors in 2022. There could be more power on the way as Henderson matures and fills out his 6-foot-3 frame.

Positional versatility

Although Henderson has the arm strength to stick at short, that body frame may lead to him starting most nights at third base for the Orioles this year. That's not a concern because, again, scouts think he could be solid at each position. However, the Orioles believe Henderson could also play at any spot in the outfield, if necessary. He logged three games at first base and six games at second for Triple-A Norfolk. All of that moving around the diamond never impacted his play at the plate.

On the fast track

Baltimore drafted Henderson about three weeks shy of his 18th birthday. Most players that age usually need more than 246 games in the Minors to show they are capable of helping in the big leagues. But Henderson is not like most players.

After a taste of Rookie ball in '19, he was sent to Single-A to begin 2021, following the season lost due to the pandemic. He zoomed through the Orioles' system from there, climbing from High-A to the Majors in fewer than 365 days. Along the way, he posted a .987 OPS in 52 games at Double-A Bowie and an .894 OPS in 64 games at Triple-A Norfolk. Upon his promotion to the Majors, Henderson had yet to face a pitcher younger than him in 2022.

With his roster spot assured this spring, Henderson didn't wow but held his own during exhibition play, hitting .216 with a .356 on-base percentage and one homer in 15 Grapefruit League games. He started at designated hitter for the Orioles on Opening Day, going hitless in three at-bats with two walks and a run scored.

One weakness?

For all of his gifts, Henderson's plate discipline is one area of concern. He knows it, too, and has worked hard on it through the past couple of years, as he described to MLB.com in June 2022.

"We stick a weighted [medicine] ball behind home plate and that kind of covers the center of the strike zone and kind of leaves off the edges," he said. "That's where the pitchers like to live, so if can you lay off those ones that are really close, that are balls, then you'll get yourself in more favorable counts. I’ve felt like I've really done that well, and hopefully keep doing that.”

The numbers show progress: Henderson's strikeout rate through 399 plate appearances in 2021 was 30.9 percent. In 2022, through 503 plate appearances split between Double-A and Triple-A, it fell to a more manageable 23.1 percent. It was 25.8 percent in 132 big league plate appearances.

Burger with a side of baseball

Henderson went viral just a few hours before his MLB debut as video of the moment he received his promotion hit social media. In the video, you first hear the voice of Norfolk Tides manager Buck Britton calling Gunnar into his office.

"What are you doing?" Britton asks.

"Well, I placed an order for a burger," Henderson responds.

Britton eventually breaks the big news to the newest Oriole, but a question remained: What about that burger?!

Fortunately, Henderson's Tides teammate and Baltimore's No. 4 prospect, Colton Cowser, assured everyone that Henderson got his meal to go.