Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Orioles fans and fans across the country.
Of all of the things that cause angst about the 2026 Orioles, the struggle of Gunnar Henderson is the one that hits me the hardest. He was just so good two years ago, a legitimate MVP contender, and even as his power production took a dive last year, he was still a great player. Not much is going right this year and things seem to be getting
worse as the season goes along.
The Orioles need him to be a good player. There’s no backup plan for what if he’s not. Manager Craig Albernaz said this directly in pregame remarks yesterday: “For us to get where we need to go, Gunnar Henderson has to be Gunnar Henderson.” It’s a statement that looks silly written out, because of course Gunnar Henderson is always Gunnar Henderson.
We can take his meaning easily. Henderson needs to be a real positive difference-maker for the Orioles. He’s making a difference this year, but not in a good way. You could argue reasonably that the gap between Henderson’s 2025 and 2026 is what got Adley Rutschman traded, or at least a substantial percentage of it if not the whole reason.
Lately, Henderson is stuck in a downward spiral and it seems neither he nor anyone else is able to find a way to bring him out of it. For this week’s poll question, I’m wondering simply: Do you think he will ever be good for the Orioles again? Vote below, and let us know what you’re thinking in the comments. Results will be shared on Friday or Saturday.
You can define “good” however that is meaningful for you. I would put the line at, will he ever have at least a 4+ bWAR season for the Orioles. That’s a good player. It’s not as great as he once showed us that he can be. Still, if he can rebound to that point, that will have mean that he’s fixed some things and gotten on a better trajectory. Maybe you think he’s cooked entirely, maybe you think the fixes won’t happen under current Orioles philosophies. Is he going to get better here? That’s the question for the week.
