Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson was named the 2023 American League Rookie of the Year, becoming the first Oriole to win the award since 1989 and seventh overall.
Henderson joins Ron Hansen (1960), Curt Blefary (1965), Al Bumbry (1973), Eddie Murray (1977), Cal Ripken Jr. (1982) and Gregg Olson (1989) as Orioles to win AL Rookie of the Year. Henderson earned 150 points in the balloting, as voted on by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, capturing all 30 first-place votes.
Rangers third baseman Josh Jung, Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas, Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida, Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee and Astros catcher Yainer Diaz were among the players who also received votes.
Henderson, 22, was called up to the major leagues late in the 2022 season but didn’t accumulate enough at-bats to exhaust his rookie eligibility. He entered the 2023 campaign as one of the favorites for the Rookie of the Year award — and he lived up to those expectations in helping lead the Orioles to their first AL East title since 2014 and first 100-plus-win season since 1980.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound infielder hit .255/.325/.489 with 66 extra-base hits in 622 plate appearances while splitting time between shortstop and third base. Henderson got off to a tough start to the season, slashing just .201/.322/.370 across 184 plate appearances from March 30 to May 31. His production ticked up after that, hitting .276/.322/.535 with 52 extra-base hits across 438 plate appearances from June 2 to Oct. 1.
Henderson finished his season with six hits and a walk in 13 postseason plate appearances.
To read about Henderson’s path from his native Alabama to Baltimore, click here.
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