On June 3, 2019, in the town of Valley Grande, in Selma, Alabama, residents gathered at a party to watch the Major League Baseball Draft. Among the crowd was Kerry and Allen Henderson, whose 17-year-old son, Gunnar, was a potential first-round pick, prevailed to be selected with the 25th pick. However, as each team made their selections, Gunnar was passed over. Every team but Boston, which didn’t have a first-round pick that year, passed on Gunnar. His athleticism and raw tools were alluring, but his inconsistent performance during the recent summer circuit drew doubts. When Gunnar wasn’t selected, disappointment shadowed over the festivities.
Fast forward to the present, 23-year-old Henderson has become one of the top five players in Major League Baseball, emerging as the reigning American League Rookie of the Year, an All-Star, and the face of the Baltimore Orioles. His selection as the first pick in the second round makes him one of the biggest scouting misses in recent times. The impressive development of Henderson stems from a well-crafted plan by the Orioles, which took a hands-on approach during the pandemic, preparing him well to perform exceptionally in the majors earlier than expected.
In 2018, Mike Elias, then Astros’ scouting director, had marked Henderson as a promising pick for the following year’s draft and had scouted Henderson more than two dozen times. When Elias became the Orioles’ general manager, he was elated when the Orioles got to select Henderson. Explaining to Henderson’s parents that the Orioles were focused on developing their young players and that Gunnar had a clear path to success with the Orioles, Elias managed to convince the Hendersons to join the team, thereby bypassing Gunnar’s plans for Auburn.
With the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, major league teams had to cope with a lost developmental year. The Orioles utilized this opportunity to accelerate the training of their young players at an “alternate site”, including Henderson. Despite initial challenges, Henderson relentlessly trained on his batting technique, rapidly adapting to the intense training regime. Over the weeks, Henderson improved exponentially, demonstrating competitive play against more experienced players.
Following his time at the alternate site, Henderson participated in the Orioles’ instructional league. In 2021, he started showing “freakish exit velocity numbers,” and subsequently advanced to Triple A within a year. Promoted to the big leagues in August 2021, Henderson’s first big hit off his bat was a home run. In Spring 2023, he announced his goal to win AL Rookie of the Year and delivered on it unanimously, becoming the first Oriole in 34 years to do so.
Gunnar Henderson continues to excel in the big leagues and has even bested the record set by Cal Ripken Jr. for most home runs (37) by a Baltimore Orioles’ shortstop. He’s well on his path to creating records and contributing to Baltimore’s potential long run of success. In retrospect, the disappointment and uncertainty surrounding his selection during the 2019 baseball draft party seem irrelevant as his soaring career evolves. Today, as his face is proudly showcased on banners across Baltimore, Henderson reflects that his journey with the Orioles, although unanticipated, worked out beautifully.
