After hitless opening series, Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson breaks out with ‘loud’ opposite-field homer vs. Rangers

Before the Orioles’ series-opening game against the Texas Rangers on Monday, manager Brandon Hyde said he wasn’t worried about Gunnar Henderson after his hitless weekend against the Boston Red Sox.

After all, Henderson did walk six times in the first three games, tied for the most in the American League in that span.

“The hits haven’t come yet, but they will,” Hyde said. “He’s trying to get that first one. Once he gets that first one, he’ll be able to relax a little bit. His at-bats have been good so far.”

Hyde’s prediction turned out to be right in multiple ways. Not only did Henderson, the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball, record multiple hits in the Orioles’ 2-0 win Monday, but it was also the first knock — a second-inning single — that calmed his nerves and led to his first home run of the season.

“It’s awesome being able to get the first hit out the way, especially at the big leagues,” Henderson said of his single to right field. “You’re just wanting to help the team win. To be able to help and come through today was awesome.”

In Henderson’s next at-bat, he deposited a 2-0 fastball from Rangers starter Jon Gray 408 feet over the left-center-field fence at Globe Life Field. The 21-year-old infielder laid off two off-speed pitches outside the strike zone to get ahead and then jumped on the center-cut heater.

“I got in a good hitter’s count. I felt like I’ve been seeing his fastball pretty well,” Henderson said. “I was able to get one out over the plate and did some damage with it.”

The 106.6 mph exit velocity on the long ball marked the hardest-hit ball from Henderson this season. Hyde said the deep shot was even more impressive considering it went to the opposite field.

“That was loud,” Hyde said about the crack of the bat on Henderson’s blast. “That was nice to see from him. Good to see the single early. That just shows you how much power that guy has to be able to hit the ball out of that part of the ballpark left-handed. That was a hit we needed.”

The run was the first of two the Orioles would score in the win. Shortstop Jorge Mateo also homered — one-upping Henderson with a 433-foot shot to left field for his first home run of the season.

Henderson, who earned praise this offseason as the sport’s top prospect in every major ranking, is the betting favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year Award. He narrowly maintained his rookie status after playing in 34 games last season and amassing 116 at-bats after his call-up in late August.

After posting a career .276/.378/.488 slash line in the minor leagues, Henderson hit .259 with four home runs and seven doubles with the Orioles down the stretch.

Like Hyde, Henderson also wasn’t concerned with his slow start with the bat against the Red Sox. Despite going 0-for-8 with four strikeouts, Henderson walked a whopping six times in three games — a testament to both his batting eye and plate discipline.

The importance of those traits — impressive and rare for a player of Henderson’s age to possess — aren’t just good for walks, though. They’re correlated with power numbers, as getting into hitter-friendly counts, such as 2-0 when he homered Monday, allows hitters to gear up for a fastball.

“I felt like I’ve been seeing the ball really well, been taking good at-bats,” Henderson said. “I knew it was only a matter of time before I got some good pitches to hit and put a barrel on one.”

Orioles at Rangers

Tuesday, 8:05 p.m.

TV: MASN2

Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM

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