Why Gunnar Henderson being so age-advanced ahead of his 21st birthday matters for him and the Orioles at this pivotal point in their timeline
The Orioles' top hitting prospect turns 21 Wednesday, and is in rare air when it comes to his performance in the high minors at his age. That's a good sign for his big league future.
A year ago this week, Gunnar Henderson was into week two of his hitless start at High-A Aberdeen, ringing in his 20th birthday with a come-down of significant proportions after his affiliated debut the month before earned him Player of the Month honors at Low-A Delmarva.
He will be celebrating his 21st birthday Wednesday in a far better spot – as one of the top hitting prospects in all the minors, showing no signs of slowing what has been a nearly peerless start to his 2022 season.
“He’s really good,” Orioles full-season hitting coordinator Cody Asche told me recently. “He’s really good. He’s a really good player, and I’m impressed by him talent-wise, practice-wise, off-the-field — I’m impressed. And he’s not the only one that impresses all of us, but he’s a really good player. All of his accolades are very warranted, but we have a lot of good players and they all make each other better. And they’re all part of this really healthy ecosystem of hitters that are coming through our system. But Gunnar really excites us.”