Gunnar Henderson is 22 Years Old And On Pace To Have One Of The Best Seasons By A Shortstop In MLB History
As we all thought, the best player in the AL and probably the best player in baseball resides in the AL East. It's not Juan Soto, it's not Aaron Judge, it's Gunnar Henderson. All he's done this season was propel the Orioles to a 51-30 record, good for first place in the AL East, he's second in baseball with 26 home runs, 57 RBIs, 91 hits, 13 stolen bases, he's hitting .290, has a .387 OBP and an OPS of 1.002, and don't forget the Gold Glove caliber defense. He's the best player in baseball right now, don't believe me just look at his WAR. He just so happens to lead baseball in bWAR and fWAR with 5.9, that's really fucking good for a season. Like really good. Like better than some full teams good.
The fact that he has a 5.9 bWAR 80 games into a season is insane. Now you see why he's an MVP candidate and for my money, the best player in baseball. Just look at the tweet at the top, on pace for 11.9 fWAR which would give him the best fWAR by a shortstop since 1900. Not 1990, 1900. Waaaaaaaaaay back when. He's the best shortstop in the game and it isn't close and he's currently showing why. He has a chance to give us the best season by a shortstop in MLB History.
He's rocking with an OPS+ of 188, the next closest shortstop is Bobby Witt Jr. at 148 OPS+. If you're unfamiliar with this stat, it means that he's 88% better than the league average hitter. That's pretty damn good if you ask me. Oh, and did I mention he's 22? It may sound weird to say this because he's so young….but he's this generation's Cal Ripken Jr, there's also a legit chance IF he stays an Oriole for his whole career that he goes down as a top 3 player in the franchise's history. He's doing things that 22 year olds shouldn't do. Playing incredible baseball every single night, has an on-base streak of 34 straight games, he got thrown out twice last week by New York and all he did was basically stuff their face in the dirt after. He's not your average 22 year old, he's got the presence of a 35 year old and it's incredible how mature he acts on the field. I asked in late April if I was crazy for taking him over Shohei Ohtani for this season…..who's crazy now?
He destroyed the YAK Gauntlet, he destroys MLB pitching, he literally does it all. It's going to be a dogfight with him and Judge for the MVP but if you compare their full arsenal of ability and talent it's really not close. Gunnar is an incredible baserunner, a very, very, very good defensive shortstop and an incredible hitter. Judge is the best hitter we've seen since Barry Bonds….and that's really it. He's a fine fielder, not fast because he's the size of Shrek, doesn't run particularly well and has had injury issues. Gunnar is the heartbeat of the Orioles, he is the straw that stirs the drink. You quite literally never have to worry about him no-showing to games. His uniform is covered in dirt by the 2nd inning, he plays everyday at a high level.
They don't build athletes like him anymore. It's about time the national media has started to pay attention to him because he's been a spark plug since the second he made his debut. Now all he's doing is putting up numbers and doing things that we haven't seen someone his age do since some guy named Alex Rodriguez was patrolling shortstop for the Mariners. Again, on pace for an 11.9 WAR season and if you're wondering who the last ballplayer to reach that mark, it was the already mentioned Bonds in 2001. Decent company for a guy who literally just was able to legally drink alcohol last year. He's only getting better too which is legit scary, he's an unreal talent and somehow is improving everyday. He is a special, special talent and we are VERY lucky that we get to watch this guy play baseball in Baltimore. The best player in baseball wears #2 for the Orioles, debate a wall.