The Orioles always stick to their plans with prospects. Gunnar Henderson was a fitting player to change that.
There's always a reason not to call up prospects if you're looking for one. Gunnar Henderson was the one the Orioles changed their plans with for a reason.
Last summer in Aberdeen, I was reporting stories on both Gunnar Henderson’s tough transition to the level and longtime Orioles scout David Jennings, who had signed Henderson.
It’s always interesting to hear about player-scout interactions, and I asked Henderson what his recollections of them were. Turns out they were minimal in this instance; with the Orioles picking first and then 42nd, the assumption was he’d be gone by the time that their second pick rolled around. He kind of just fell in their lap.
That he did turned out to be an absolute boon for the organization, as Henderson, now the youngest Orioles debutant in a decade, accomplished something that hasn’t yet occurred in a meaningful way since the Orioles’ project under Mike Elias began nearly four years ago: a change in development plans.
If Adley Rutschman was the standard bearer on the Orioles’ farm during this rebuild, Gunnar Henderson was the star pupil — a player who so bought in and was so devotedly focused on getting to the big leagues like he did Wednesday that he’s used as an example for prospects at every level.
The Orioles’ competitive circumstance and Henderson’s supreme talent were certainly factors in bringing him to Cleveland this week. But the Orioles have had opportunities to accelerate a player’s arrival in the big leagues before, and it’s no coincidence that the player who could be heralding a change in philosophy is Henderson — someone they didn’t even invite to major league camp this spring.