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Oct 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) looks out from the dugout against the Kansas City Royals in game one of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Gunnar Henderson gets blunt about Orioles pitching staff

Originally posted on Baltimore Orioles on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Sep 30, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Now that the 2025 season has come to an end for the Baltimore Orioles, fans and members of the organization can look back on the full body of work that the franchise produced over the past six or so months.

And for the most part, this look back will breed a lot of disappointment, as it's no secret that this season did not come close to living up to expectations, both individually for many players and as a collective unit.

This team's young, talented hitters especially struggled. In fact, most would argue that the three players expected to perform best on offense this season were Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Jackson Holliday. And all three didn't live up to expectations.

It must be said that Henderson produced a solid season, relative to an average player. He finished the year with a .274 average, a .787 OPS, and 17 home runs while playing in almost every game. Yet, that's a far cry from his career .831 OPS, as well as the .893 OPS and 37 home runs he hit just one season ago.

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

A team's best player's OPS dropping 50 points and him hitting less than half the amount of home runs they hit one season prior is alarming, to say the least. But Henderson is still just 24 years old and has all the tools to bounce back in a big way come 2026.

Gunnar Henderson Speaks on Orioles Season Takeaways

Henderson spoke with MASN's Roch Kubatko for a September 28 article, and shared where Baltimore must go from here after leaving 2025 in the rearview.

“Learn from what went wrong in the season. But like, if you don't, then what did you go through it for?” Henderson said in the article.

“I feel like that's the biggest thing, using these experiences to take them into next year. Feel like, take that as a team purpose and as a player purpose. You learn from everything that goes on in the season. That's why experience is huge, and feel like everybody's going to be better for it," he added.

“I feel like that's the biggest thing, using these experiences to take them into next year. Feel like, take that as a team purpose and as a player purpose.”

Gunnar Henderson on a down year as the final game of the season approaches. https://t.co/36tItBjBQY pic.twitter.com/nifR55uNky
— Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) September 28, 2025

When speaking about the returners from the pitching staff (who underperformed as a unit even more than the position players, Henderson said the key to them rebounding is, "Just a matter of keeping them healthy. They've proven it before, and it's just a matter of staying healthy and being able to get the innings in. I feel like they do that and we'll be in a great spot.”

Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias made it clear that he intends to add a frontline starting pitcher this offseason when addressing the media on Monday. Therefore, there should be some reinforcements coming for Baltimore's rotation.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Orioles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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