During a sensational season when he was promoted from Double-A to Triple-A and continued to put up good numbers and then hit for the cycle, O’s prospect Gunnar Henderson added another honor today. He has been selected to play for the American League team in the All-Star Futures Game.
Henderson, the youngest player in the International League, is the only O’s prospect selected for the seven-inning game with the American League prospects facing the young stars from National League affiliates. It takes place Saturday, July 16 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles at 7 p.m. ET.
Henderson, who just turned 21 on June 29, has had a Player of the Year type of season on the O’s farm this year. He got off to a strong start with Double-A Bowie, and on June 6 it was announced that he and teammate Jordan Westburg were being promoted to Triple-A Norfolk. Two days later they played their first game there. Henderson homered in his first Triple-A game.
For the season between the two teams over 72 games, he has batted .298/.429/.548/.977 and scored 66 runs to go with 16 doubles, four triples, 13 homers and 51 RBIs. He has walked 58 times and struck out 68.
He hit the ground running this year and posted an .885 OPS in April with Bowie, and then really turned it up weeks later, posting a 1.079 OPS in May. On June 28 he hit for the cycle for Norfolk, one day before his 21st birthday. He singled in the first, recorded a two-run triple in the third, hit a solo homer in the fifth and doubled in the sixth. It was the first cycle by a Norfolk player since Timo Pérez on June 9, 2000.