Gunnar Henderson highlights major tweak leading to AL ROY accolade - "I was a bit too passive in the beginning"

Baltimore Orioles rookie Gunnar Henderson was recently unanimously awarded American League Rookie of the Year, receiving all 30 first-place votes after a historic season. Since right-hander Gregg Olson was crowned Rookie of the Year in 1989, no Orioles player had won the award until Henderson.

On the other hand, Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks won the National League Rookie of the Year unanimously too, receiving all 30 first-place votes.

Recently, Henderson appeared on MLB Network Radio to talk about his historic season:

"I was probably being a little bit too passive in the beginning; I was always trying to find the perfect pitch rather and that's where you kinda messed up in baseball on trying to find the perfect pitch," Henderson spoke about his early season struggles. "If it's closer to where you can do damage then you gotta take your shot, you do well and it works in your favor.

"It was a good process in the cage, being able to work with my hitting coach, had the freedom to hit and miss, while also doing damage to the pitches that I can hit, so felt like getting a little bit more aggressive, free myself up and take more shots with confidence. With progress, the ball started to find the hole and it just kinda took off from there."

Gunnar Henderson's historic Rookie of the Year season

The third baseman was selected in the second round of the 2019 MLB draft as the No. 42 pick by the Baltimore Orioles, signing with the team for a $2.3 million signing bonus.

Henderson was selected the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year for 2022, after hitting .297 with 19 home runs, 76 RBIs and 22 stolen bases in 112 games split between Bowie and Norfolk.

The Orioles promoted him to the active roster on August 31, 2022, and made his debut against the Cleveland Guardians later that day. In his debut, he homered off Triston McKenzie.

In 2023, Gunnar Henderson hit .255 with 143 hits, 28 home runs, 82 RBIs and 100 runs scored in 150 games. Having won the AL Rookie of the Year, he has also helped his team get additional PPI (Prospect Promotion Incentive) draft picks in the second round of the 2024 MLB draft.