Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson is off to a fast start in his second full Major League Baseball season. 

Last year’s American League Rookie of the Year has shined through 21 games for the Orioles. 

The former John T. Morgan Academy prep all-American is hitting .279 with six homers, 15 RBI, 24 hits and 15 runs scored. The Orioles (14-7) entered the week one-half of a game behind the New York Yankees in the American League Eastern Division.

“If this could carry into the regular season, it would be great because about the only thing Gunnar didn’t do well last year was get off to a good start,” wrote Camdenchat.com, a website that covers the Orioles. “By mid-May, his average was around .170, low enough that a segment of Orioles fans started to call for sending the rookie down to Triple-A Norfolk to work out his issues.”

Henderson, 23, finished the season strong. He wound up hitting .255 with 29 doubles, nine triples, 28 home runs, 100 runs scored and 82 RBI.

ZIPS Projections, a baseball system used to predict a player’s seasonal performance, projects that Henderson will hit .260 with 26 homers and 93 RBI.

“This is basically a repeat of 2023, and I suppose no one in these parts would complain about that,” ZIPS Projections reported. “A few points improvement in batting average and two fewer homers.”