Orioles Superstar Unleashed! One Simple Change Transforms Hitting Performance
The Baltimore Orioles offense should be good for years to come, with the number of talented young players that manager Brandon Hyde has at his disposal to fill out his lineup card every day.
Anchoring that group is shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who has wasted no time living up to the lofty expectations his draft spot and prospect status came with.
A second-round pick in the 2019 MLB draft out of John T. Morgan Academy in Selma, Alabama, he rose through the ranks quickly. He was eventually the unanimous No. 1 prospect in the sport heading into the 2023 campaign after making his debut on Aug. 31, 2022.
Henderson immediately made an impact. He was named the American League Rookie of the Year in 2023, winning the Silver Slugger Award and finishing eighth in the MVP voting.
He put together a well-rounded performance with a slash line of .255/.325/.489, hitting 28 home runs with 82 RBI, 29 doubles, nine triples and 10 stolen bases.
The Orioles had to be ecstatic with his progression, as he was living up to the hype. But even his biggest supporters could not have predicted the kind of jump he would make in his second full Big League season.
Henderson broke out as a true superstar, earning his first All-Star appearance and was in the running for the MVP Award, eventually finishing fourth behind New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and Judge’s teammate in 2024, outfielder Juan Soto.
He was a one-man wrecking crew, with a slash line of .281/.364/.529, launching 37 home runs with 92 RBI, 31 doubles, seven triples and 21 stolen bases.
What led to such a significant boost in his power output?
As shared by David Adler of MLB.com, his increased swing speed had a lot to do with it.
In the second half of the 2023 campaign, when the first bat speed numbers were released, Henderson was inside the top 25 at 75.4 mph.
He made a significant jump in 2024, increasing that to 76.3 mph.
What separated him from other players on this list who may have sped up their swing was that it was done efficiently.
Henderson not only swung harder, but he didn’t elongate his swing.
In fact, he did the opposite, as his swing length shortened from 7.3 feet to 7.2 feet.
His compact swing combined with the increase in speed led to an impressive jump in his power numbers, resulting in him making violent contact at a consistent rate.
Every month of the Statcast swing speed tracking, Henderson has been at or above the 75 mph mark, which is the benchmark for “fast swings”.
Nowhere near his prime at only 23 years old, it will be interesting to see if another jump in speed will be coming as he hones his craft even more.
