Baltimore Orioles Superstar Shortstop Ranks Third in Latest Rankings

As baseball is gearing up for the new season, ESPN's Buster Olney has published the names of top 10 shortstops for this coming campaign, and according to him, Baltimore Orioles star Gunnar Henderson is the third-best player at the position.

The Orioles are aiming to make it to the playoffs for a third straight season, and the 23-year-old will be an important piece if they are to have a postseason worth remembering.

"He is a phenomenal athlete - a good shortstop now, but, barring injury, he should be able to move readily as he ages, to third or second or first base," Olney wrote in his article.

In most years, Henderson's 2024 performance would have guaranteed him MVP honors, but the American League was full of outstanding individual performances.

Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr., and Juan Soto finished first, second, and third, respectively, leaving Henderson completely out of the MVP discussion because he did not garner enough votes to be considered as a contender.

In his sophomore campaign, the shortstop had 75 extra-base hits, including 37 homers, and an OPS+ of 159.

ESPN's analyst Paul Hembekides even compared the start of Henderson's career to that of Baltimore's Hall of Fame shortstop Carl Ripken Jr., camparing both of their numbers which shows that the young shortstop is on the right track to become a Hall of Famer himself.

Henderson won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2023. The shortstop led the Orioles to their first postseason berth in seven years during his first full season with the team.
He slashed .281/.364/.529 with 37 homers, 21 steals, a 155 wRC+ and 8.0 WAR in 2024.

In 2025, Henderson looks ready to take the leadoff spot in a stacked Baltimore lineup, setting the stage for Adley Rutschman, Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser and the team's other dominant hitters.

The 23-year-old shortstop's performance and health are arguably the most important aspects of the Orioles' offensive outlook this season.

Henderson must meet or surpass last year's output if the club wants to improve on its win-loss record and playoff performance from the previous season.

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