Gunnar Henderson Is The MLB MVP Candidate No One Knows About
New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge may somehow have improved on his 2022 season, when he set a new record for home runs in the American League.
READ: Aaron Judge May Be Having A Better Season Than His Record-Setting Year In 2022
Juan Soto has also had an exceptional first season in the Bronx, with the game's highest on base percentage. Bobby Witt Jr. has delivered in spades after signing a massive contract extension in the offseason. But the real MVP frontrunner, and a player having one of the best seasons we've seen in decades, is Baltimore Orioles star Gunnar Henderson. And hardly anyone's hearing about it.
BALTIMORE - Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson runs the bases after hitting a first-inning solo home run against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in April. (Photo: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports)
Gunnar Henderson Having One Of The Best Seasons In Decades
It's not an exaggeration to say Henderson is, and should be, the MVP frontrunner. Per Fangraphs, he leads the Major Leagues in wins above replacement, at 6.0. Baseball-Reference has him rated even higher at 6.1.
He's been exceptional on offense, hitting .290/.388/.612 with 26 home runs, 13 steals, 72 runs and 58 runs batted in. That batting line is 80 percent better than the league average, given the poor offensive environment of 2024.
But it's not just on offense where Henderson separates himself; per Fangraphs, he's added more than 3 runs of value with baserunning. That puts him in the top eight in MLB. Henderson's one of the fastest runners in the sport, and he adds to that with exceptional instincts.
He's also playing an exceptional defensive shortstop. Fangraphs estimates he's been worth nearly eight runs saved on defense, and Baseball Savant says he's added seven outs above average, good for the 97th percentile in baseball. Henderson's playing elite defense, contributing elite baserunning, and is one of the best hitters in the sport at a premium position. Oh, and he's 23-years-old.
That's all well and good, but the historical perspective shows how impressive Henderson's performance has been. Per Fangraphs, this is the fastest that anyone has accumulated six wins above replacement in a season since Barry Bonds in 2002.
That was the season where Bonds wound up with 12.7 WAR, the highest number of his career and one of the highest numbers in baseball history. He also had a .582 on base percentage and .799 slugging percentage. And was 144 percent better then league average on offense. Even with the steroids, it was an unbelievable performance.
Henderson's on track to match it, at least by wins above replacement.
Why Isn't He Getting More Attention?
Henderson though, isn't getting nearly the attention of Judge or Soto. Which raises the question: why?
Well, he's not as flashy, for one thing. Judge hits mammoth, Statcast home runs and plays under the national spotlight in New York. Henderson's excellence comes from being good at everything, more so than dominating one particular category.
His Baseball Savant Statcast profile demonstrates it well.
Baseball Savant
But he should be getting more attention, because he's earned it. The Orioles have quietly come from behind to push the Yankees into a tie at the top of the AL East. And it's due in no small part to Henderson's exceptional performance. An MVP-type performance.