Baltimore Orioles Superstar talks team spirit ahead of postseason

The Baltimore Orioles are heading to the postseason for the second straight season, but this year is a little different. In 2023, the team won 101 games and was only swept in the American League Division Series all season. The team faced more setbacks in 2024, but Gunnar Henderson believes this makes them even better.

After winning 58 games in the first half, the Orioles went just .500 in the second half, ultimately losing the division title to the New York Yankees. They were below .500 in both July and August, and it was the first real test for some of the younger players the team is known for. But that’s why Henderson thinks they’re doing well.

“We’ve pretty much gone through the entire minor league system together. It’s been a lot of fun to be able to share the field and just develop the relationship that we have on and off the field with each player. I’m just so excited in It helps us to have such a close-knit clubhouse and to have a really nice atmosphere when we come to the clubhouse every day,” the MVP candidate told MASN.

Having a close bond with the team certainly helps, or at least doesn’t hurt. And all these young people have been playing together for years. Key players like Henderson, Adley Rutchsman, Grayson Rodriguez, Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad were all drafted within a few years of each other and all grew up together.

“The team chemistry you have with every guy, during the tough times we went through after the All Star break, obviously it’s not nice to lose that many games, but the fact that you have guys like that in the clubhouse makes it a little bit easier to get through stuff like that,” he continued.

The relationships formed within the Orioles system clearly seem to have had an impact on the players, and Henderson seems confident that gives them an edge. He believes in his guys, no matter what, no matter where they are.

“It’s just the next-man-up mentality, it doesn’t matter if you’re in Triple-A or on the bench in the Big Leagues,” he stated.

The Orioles have become famous for their ability to draft hitters and develop them quickly, and it has worked. Henderson is an MVP candidate and Cowser is a Rookie of the Year candidate. No matter what happens, the shortstop knows his guys will play hard for each other. That could be powerful in October.