2023 Topps Chrome Gunnar Henderson #2 Rookie Card Orioles SSP Image Variation

Description: Track Record: When the pandemic shut down minor league baseball in 2020, the Orioles worried high school hitters like Henderson--whom they signed for an over-slot $2.3 million as the 42nd overall pick in 2019--would be most impacted by the loss of development time. Instead, Henderson flourished. Two years after being the youngest player at Baltimore's alternate training site and exposed to the challenging and, at times, overwhelming Orioles hitting practices, Henderson forced his MLB debut at 21 years old. The Orioles wouldn't have thought Henderson would be in the majors by September when they didn't invite him to big league camp in 2022, but he walked more than he struck out (41 to 38) with a 1.025 OPS in two months at Double-A Bowie before continuing to produce at Triple-A Norfolk, becoming the top prospect in baseball and earning Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year honors. Scouting Report: The talent to put together such a season has always been within Henderson. His offseason work meant it came faster than the team expected. He added a little rhythm to his swing to get himself moving early, flattened out his bat path to be able to combat riding fastballs up in the zone, and most importantly improved his plate discipline in his return to Double-A Bowie in 2022. He showed immediate gains with swing decisions and contact rates. Henderson's swing has always been a powerful one, and him growing into his body made it more so. His strength and explosiveness allow him to get away with having a smaller move--where he doesn't need to generate much momentum to produce all-fields power--and his approach allows him to stay up the middle consistently. Henderson was exposed to plenty of outer-half spin in 2022 as pitchers tried to avoid the heart of the plate against him. That gave him plenty of looks at one of the few areas where he's continuing to search for solutions. Otherwise, his plus hit tool and plus-plus power showed up in the majors. Henderson had a 92.4 mph average exit velocity and a 53.7% hard-hit rate. Defensively, Henderson hasn't outgrown shortstop and has the potential to be at least above-average there with elite capabilities at third base thanks to his plus-plus arm and range. He's a plus runner as well and impressed the big league staff with his speed on his callup late in the season. Henderson is an intensely driven player who embodies the growth mindset the Orioles seek in their players. The Future: Henderson reaching the majors this quickly and succeeding in the manner he has puts his career on a steep upward trajectory. The Orioles believe he can be an MVP-caliber player, but at worst he can be a regular all-star who will be a cornerstone in the ongoing Orioles turnaround. - Baseball America

Price: 750 USD

Location: Olathe, Kansas

End Time: 2024-11-19T22:16:05.000Z

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