Orioles Infielder Gunnar Henderson Voted 2024 Most Valuable Oriole
The Orioles today announced that infielder GUNNAR HENDERSON has been voted the winner of the 2024 Louis M. Hatter Most Valuable Oriole Award by members of the local media who cover the team on a regular basis. He will be recognized for his accomplishments during an on-field ceremony prior to today¡¯s game against the Detroit Tigers.
Henderson has won the award for the second straight year. He¡¯s the 14th Oriole to earn the honor multiple times and the eighth to do so in at least two straight seasons, along with ADAM JONES (2011-12), EDDIE MURRAY (5, 1981-85), RAFAEL PALMEIRO (1995-96), JIM PALMER (1972-73), BOOG POWELL (1969-70), CAL RIPKEN, JR. (1990-91), and FRANK ROBINSON (1966-67).
The shortstop enters play today slashing .283/.366/.538 (171-for-604) with 29 doubles, seven triples, 37 home runs, 115 runs scored, 87 RBI, 74 walks (1 IBB), seven hit-by-pitches, and 21 stolen bases in 152 games, all starts. Henderson leads the Orioles in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS (.904), runs scored, hits, doubles (T-1st), triples, extra-base hits (73), and total bases (325). He¡¯s set career highs in almost every offensive category besides triples (9, 2023). He ranks among American League leaders in runs scored (3rd), total bases (3rd), walks (3rd), triples (T-4th), homers (5th), extra-base hits (T-5th), hits (6th), on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS (7th). His runs scored are the most by an Oriole since ROBERTO ALOMAR set the club record with 132 in 1996. He's the sixth player in O's history (since 1954) to score 100 runs in back-to-back seasons after scoring exactly 100 times last year, joining BRADY ANDERSON (2, 1995-96), Jones (2, 2012-13), MANNY MACHADO (2, 2015-16), Ripken, Jr. (3, 1983-85), and BRIAN ROBERTS (3, 2007-09).
The Alabama native leads the O¡¯s and ranks third in MLB with an 8.0 FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement (fWAR). That would be tied for the sixth highest in team history (since 1954) and the best mark since Ripken, Jr. set the club record with 10.6 in 1991. His 8.7 Baseball Reference WAR (bWAR) would be the third best by an Oriole in a season behind Ripken, Jr. (11.5 in 1991; 10.0 in 1984).
The 23-year-old infielder has appeared in 150 games defensively, all at shortstop. His four Defensive Runs Saved are tied for second on the Orioles, according to Sports Info Solutions. He¡¯s the best O¡¯s baserunner with three Runner Runs, a metric designed to evaluate the performance of runners taking extra bases, according to Statcast.
The Most Valuable Oriole Award is named in honor of the late LOU HATTER, a former sportswriter for The Baltimore Sun who covered the Orioles for 27 years. Balloting for the Most Valuable Oriole Award concluded this week, with voting on a 5-3-1 basis. Six other players received a first, second, or third-place vote: CORBIN BURNES, COLTON COWSER, ADLEY RUTSCHMAN, ANTHONY SANTANDER, ALBERT SU?REZ, and JORDAN WESTBURG.