Orioles icon Cal Ripken Jr. expresses delight after Gunnar Henderson's ROTY honour - " I was happy to be a part of it"
Gunnar Henderson's AL Rookie of the Year award was presented to him by Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., former winner of the award himself in 1982, who announced his worthy predecessor as the winner on MLB Network.
There are plenty of similarities between Cal Ripken Jr.'s and Gunnar Henderson's rookie seasons. Both hit 28 home runs and split their defensive time between third base and shortstop. One place where Henderson bettered the former Oriole was that he guided his team to a playoff appearance with a 101-winning season.
The 22-year-old rookie was vital to the young offensive core at the heart of the Baltimore lineup. He recorded an OPS of .814 and led all American League rookies in every offensive stat including the home run. Such was his prowess that he was unanimously voted ROTY with all 30 first-placed votes going to him.
His landslide victory was the first one since 1989 for the Orioles when Gregg Olson won the award. He was also the team's first positional player since Ripken to take home the award. It made the announcement made by the former 19x All-Star even more special.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, to congratulate Henderson, Ripken Jr. said:
"Congratulations, Gunnar on being named the 2023 Jackie Robinson AL Rookie of the Year! What a cool moment, I was happy to be a part of it."
Gunnar Henderson returns the appreciation for Cal Ripken Jr.
Gunnar Henderson was not short of words himself as he appreciated Cal Ripken Jr. being the presenter for his award hinting at a bit of advice from the legend in the near future:
“He’s one of the best to ever do it. Having him for support, for him to take time out of his day to do this, come into the clubhouse and stuff, it’s been pretty special to have a guy like that. I can’t thank him enough for all he’s done, and I look forward to many conversations with him,” Henderson said.
Henderson will look to carry the form in the following season as the Baltimore Orioles look to make a deep run into the playoffs in 2024.