Baltimore Orioles star Gunnar Henderson is the perfect example of why teams have to be patient with top prospects.
Regular prospects have more variance: some might pan out, others won’t.
However, the majority of top prospects have some at least some success and their upside is considerable.
When Henderson made his MLB debut in 2022, he hit .259/.348/.440 in a 116 at-bat sample.
Then, in 2023, he won the AL Rookie of the Year award by hitting a cool .255/.325/.489 with 28 home runs and a .814 OPS over a full season.
The 2024 campaign, however, has been the one in which he truly reached top player status, the level the O’s dreamed he would reach when they drafted and developed him.
Henderson is currently slashing an incredible .274/.375/.599 with 21 home runs and a .974 OPS… from the leadoff spot!
He is actually on pace for some gaudy numbers, as MLB Network noted in a recent tweet.
He could even join former MLB star Alex Rodriguez in an exclusive club.
Gunnar is on a WILD pace right now 🤯 pic.twitter.com/tQUArBkvPz
Henderson is on pace for 52 long balls and 115 RBI.
The only shortstop to log a 50-homer season (or more) is A-Rod.
No other shortstop did it, in the history of the game.
He hit 57 dingers in 2002 with the Texas Rangers.
He hit 54 in 2007 with the New York Yankees, but he had converted to third base by then.
Henderson, if he keeps up his current pace, could potentially join him.
What he is doing has no precedents for a leadoff hitter.
He is just a special player on a special team, ready to fight for special things both collectively and individually.