Baltimore Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson. Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Orioles slugger Gunnar Henderson clobbers 19th homer vs. Rays

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Jun 2, 2024 4:06 PM ET

Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson is showing why he's one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball.

On Sunday, in the bottom of the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays, Henderson crushed an 86 mph pitch from pitcher Zack Littell over the right field wall, giving the Orioles a 1-0 lead.

Gunnar Henderson leads it off with his 19th homer of the year! pic.twitter.com/DJRPLgldna
— MLB (@MLB) June 2, 2024

Entering this game, Henderson was third in baseball in home runs (18), sixth in OPS (.927) and tied for 11th in RBI (41).

On Thursday, MLB.com's Sarah Langs shared Henderson is on pace to hit 54 homers and 123 RBI out of the leadoff spot. If he keeps it up, he will shatter the previous records. In 2023, Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. hit 41 dingers, while Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts logged 107 RBI.

Gunnar Henderson is on pace for 54 HR & 123 RBI

out of the leadoff spot

most HR in a season out of leadoff spot: 41, 2023 Ronald Acuña Jr.

most RBI (official since 1920) in a season out of leadoff spot: 107, 2023 Mookie Betts pic.twitter.com/99NLs1PbMc
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) May 31, 2024

Whether Henderson hits these marks or not, the 2023 American Rookie League of the Year has proved he's an MVP contender during the first half of the season. As of Sunday, FanDuel gives him the third-best MVP odds (+480) behind New York Yankees outfielders Juan Soto (+300) and Aaron Judge (+200).

However, Henderson recently told MASN-TV in Baltimore he's more focused on helping the Orioles (37-19) make a deep postseason run rather than the MVP race. Baltimore is second in the American League East behind the Yankees (41-19) and trails by two games.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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