By Kenny Burgess Contributor
Updated 7/24/23 6:38pm ET
Since being drafted, Gunnar Henderson has been regarded as one of the Orioles’ top prospects and the expectations for him were sky-high heading into this MLB season. Henderson was the betting favorite to be the American League Rookie of the Year before the season started in February, with his odds to take home the award opened at +290.
Whether it was pressure or adjusting to the big leagues, Henderson got off to a very poor start — he hit a putrid .197 in April and .213 in May. Because of his very tough start to the season, Henderson’s odds plummeted in the first couple of months. With Masataka Yoshida and Josh Jung having great starts and Henderson underperforming, his odds were at a season-low of +3000 by the first week of June.
Things started to turn around for Henderson however and in the month of June, he looked like a completely different player, hitting .320 while posting a .994 OPS. Henderson slugged six home runs in June, which earned him AL’s Rookie of the Month, and has added an additional five home runs in July so far.
This midseason surge has left Henderson with some impressive season-long numbers. As we are nearing the end of July, Henderson currently has an average of .247, an OPS at .818, and recorded 16 home runs. As a result, Henderson is the current betting favorite to be the AL Rookie of the Year at +185 on FanDuel.
This award is still very much up for grabs as Yoshida and Jung are close behind in terms of odds at +195 and +220, respectively. While Yoshida and Jung may have some better counting numbers right now, the Orioles have been surging as of late, largely due to Henderson’s play.
The Orioles are currently leading the AL East and have the second-best record in all of baseball. If the Orioles continue to play well and Henderson continues to hit, he has a great chance to be named the top rookie in the American League. The odds reflect this and it should be a great award race to follow down the stretch. Props to anyone who believed in Henderson after his horrid start because it may just be paying dividends by the season’s end.
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