Rutschman, Henderson ready to show greatness
20-year-old Holliday will be a star — whenever he gets his chance
SARASOTA, Fla. — Another spring training is in the books, and the Orioles’ six weeks in Florida were jam-packed with injury news, prospects showing off, franchise-altering changes, lots of wins and more.
But the real games start Thursday.
The 2024 season — the 70th anniversary of the club’s first season in Baltimore — is right around the corner, and the Orioles are hoping to make the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since the late 1990s and win the franchise’s first World Series since 1983.
But before ace Corbin Burnes takes the mound opening day against the Los Angeles Angels at Camden Yards, let’s put a bow on spring training. Here are five things we learned from Orioles camp.
Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman are ready to explode
Spring training is too long, and the days are even longer.
But the Orioles’ two best players didn’t let the near-pointlessness of the end of camp get to them. Instead, they provided a preview of what could be a massive campaign for them both.
Gunnar Henderson clobbered a 451-foot homer Sunday to cap off a dominant spring after he missed the beginning with a minor oblique
injury. Then, Adley Rutschman one-upped his buddy with a 460-foot blast.
The two players aren’t technically in the primes of their careers yet, but 2024 could be the season they each emerge as legitimate American League Most Valuable Player candidates. Both are in the top 10 among betting odds to win the award this season a year after Henderson finished ninth and Rutschman 10th.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that as the Orioles enter their stretch run, Henderson and Rutschman are competing with each other — and a few of the AL’s top players — for the coveted award.
Jackson Holliday is going to be a star … when he gets the chance