'Caged tiger' Gunnar is perhaps the sport's most humble superstar

October 11th, 2024

This story was originally published on Monday, July 15, 2024, just prior to Gunnar Henderson's debut in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby and All-Star Game.

BALTIMORE -- Over the course of the long MLB season, spends a good bit of time seated at his locker in the Orioles¡¯ clubhouse, both before and after games. Plenty of conversations are had there, too.

Henderson could be talking with locker neighbor Colton Cowser about their recent Lego purchases. Or he¡¯ll chit-chat with reporters and broadcasters about a wide range of topics, spanning his home life in Selma, Ala. -- where not too long ago he had a day named in his honor -- to adventures with his dog, Chief, a German Wirehaired Pointer.

No oncomers get turned away by Henderson, who gives any (and every) question or comment sent his way the same type of courteous, polite response and careful attention.

¡°That¡¯s just the manners my parents have instilled in me. Just always respect everyone, no matter who it is,¡± Henderson said. ¡°I feel like that¡¯s something that I¡¯ve tried to incorporate in my everyday life, and I know a lot of people up here get mad at me for saying, ¡®Yes, sir. No, sir. Yes, ma¡¯am. No, ma¡¯am.¡¯ That¡¯s just something we do down there.¡±

Turn the cameras and recorders off. Wait until nobody is watching. Henderson won¡¯t change, with various sources available to vouch for that.

An increased national spotlight isn¡¯t inflating Henderson¡¯s ego or turning him cocky -- and it isn¡¯t going to.

He was a first-time All-Star heading to the 2024 Midsummer Classic at Globe Life Field in Arlington with four of his O¡¯s teammates -- catcher Adley Rutschman, third baseman Jordan Westburg, outfielder Anthony Santander and AL starting pitcher Corbin Burnes.

He was also one of eight participants in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby.

He¡¯s also the budding face of the franchise in Baltimore, where fans are falling in love with perhaps the humblest, most dedicated superstar in the sport -- or maybe in all of sports.

¡°No question: He¡¯s a phenomenal human being,¡± said former Orioles Minor League coach Kyle Moore, who managed Henderson at High-A Aberdeen in 2021, then at Double-A Bowie in ¡®22. ¡°When you talk about his humility, it¡¯s a genuine humility. He also is the hardest working person in the clubhouse. It¡¯s not a fake try-hard, false hustle. It¡¯s real. That¡¯s really who he is.¡±

Before Henderson became an All-Star -- and prior to his 2022 MLB debut and his ¡®23 American League Rookie of the Year campaign -- he was a standout performer in Baltimore¡¯s Minor League ranks. A second-round Draft pick taken No. 42 overall in ¡®19, Henderson could have been selected by any of MLB¡¯s 29 other teams. Instead, the O¡¯s landed the toolsy 6-foot-3 shortstop whose work ethic has never allowed him to fail.

When games get underway, Henderson kicks his effort into a higher gear.

¡°Man, he was like a caged tiger at times,¡± Moore said.

Henderson¡¯s playing style can turn aggressive. His personality, however, does not.

¡°Every level he¡¯s ever gone to, he¡¯s figured out how to dominate that level. He¡¯s doing it again. And he¡¯s a great kid. That¡¯s the other thing, is he¡¯s a superstar on the field and he¡¯s a great kid off the field,¡± said Triple-A Norfolk manager Buck Britton, who coached Henderson in the Minors and was his Home Run Derby pitcher. ¡°It¡¯s a testament to his upbringing. This is a genuine human being.¡±

Go back to Henderson¡¯s high school days at John T. Morgan Academy. Same story.

¡°You couldn¡¯t find anyone in high school that would speak negatively of Gunnar, because he treated everyone the same,¡± said Stephen Clements, Henderson¡¯s former high school coach.

In the spring of 2019, Henderson was a senior attracting dozens of MLB scouts at a time to his team¡¯s games. They often talked with Clements and wanted to hear all of the pros and cons about Henderson, both as a baseball player and as a person.

Clements couldn¡¯t think of any character flaws. He assured the scouts none existed. And a few times -- to prove he wasn¡¯t being biased -- he¡¯d send them to talk to the school custodian, a more neutral third party who could attest to Henderson¡¯s personality.

¡°He said, ¡®Look, if he¡¯s walking down the hall and there¡¯s trash on the floor, he¡¯ll help me pick it up. Or if I¡¯m toting something that¡¯s heavy, he¡¯s going to get it from me,¡¯¡± Clements said. ¡°He was just that kind of person on the field and off the field.¡±

During All-Star Week, Henderson was set to have more attention on him than anytime before. A five-year professional journey culminating at one of baseball¡¯s premier stages.

Ask Henderson how he made it from a small town in Alabama to here and his answer shouldn¡¯t surprise anyone. In his mind, the primary reason isn¡¯t because of his skills or his work.

It¡¯s mostly because of one of his biggest supporters/longtime coaches -- his dad, Allen.

¡°I just can¡¯t thank my dad enough for sacrificing however many years it was of just helping me out,¡± Henderson said. ¡°It seems like I¡¯ve been out of high school forever. It definitely goes to show when they say it flies by, because it feels like forever ago, but it¡¯s not that long ago.

¡°I¡¯ve enjoyed the process that I¡¯ve gone through so far, but looking forward to the years to come.¡±

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com