Announcement on Most Valuable Oriole coming later today

The 2024 Most Valuable Oriole will be announced this morning and we’ll find out whether shortstop Gunnar Henderson is a repeat winner.

No player has received the honor in back-to-back seasons since center fielder Adam Jones in 2011-12. Jones also won in 2018.

Shortstop Miguel Tejada came close by winning it in 2004 and 2006. Second baseman Brian Roberts prevented three in a row.

First baseman Rafael Palmeiro finished first in 1995, 1996 and 1998, with closer Randy Myers winning in ’97.

Hall of Famer Eddie Murray had a tremendous run, winning it in 1978, ’81, ’82, ’83 (with Cal Ripken Jr.), ’84, ’85 and ’88 (also with Ripken). Outfielder Ken Singleton earned the award three times in a six-year period beginning in 1975, and Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson did the same beginning in 1960.

Hall of Famer Frank Robinson was the first back-to-back winner in 1966-67. First baseman Boog Powell was next in 1969-70, followed by Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer in 1972-73.

Is Henderson next?

His stiffest competition should come from right fielder Anthony Santander and starter Corbin Burnes. Pitcher Albert Suárez and outfielder Colton Cowser, who homered twice last night, also could appear on some three-man ballots.

Reliever Danny Coulombe fell out of the competition early after undergoing surgery in June to remove bone chips from his left elbow. Infielder Jordan Westburg’s fractured hand hurt his candidacy. Catcher Adley Rutschman’s second-half decline – he was batting  .202/.284/.306 with three home runs after the break heading into last night’s game – likely prevented him from becoming a two-time recipient. He won in 2022.

Henderson began last night batting .282/.365/.537 with 28 doubles, seven triples, 37 home runs, 87 RBIs, 74 walks and 20 stolen bases in 23 attempts spread over 151 games. His 169 hits led the club – 34 more than runner-up Rutschman. His average, on-base percentage, slugging, .902 OPS and 114 runs scored also ranked first.

FanGraphs assigned Henderson a 7.8 WAR that also put him atop that list. Cowser was second at 3.6, followed by Burnes at 3.4 and Santander and Rutschman at  3.1.

The argument for Santander, who won it in the COVID 2020 season and didn’t receive an on-field presentation, starts with his 43 home runs that rank third in the majors. He also leads the team with 99 RBIs, four more than his career high set last summer. His walk-off Thursday looms XL.

Burnes is in the Cy Young discussion, which obviously puts him in the running for his team’s award. The rotation has been torn apart by injuries and surgeries, but Burnes notched his 22nd quality start last night by shutting out the Tigers over seven innings.

Only players currently in the organization are eligible for MVO. That was a much bigger deal during the rebuild and those deadline trades that removed veterans for prospects.

Also, there’s bound to be at least one weird vote, which should be named after former second baseman Rougned Odor, who somehow made it onto a 2022 ballot while batting .207/.275/.357 and posting a minus-0.2 bWAR. Too bad the voters aren’t required to share their picks with the public like they do in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

If you turned in a ballot without Henderson, Santander and/or Burnes on it, speak up and accept the ridicule. And be restricted next year to voting for best concession item or most ideal parking spots at Camden Yards and the surrounding area.

The Orioles only announce players who received first-place votes. I'll update this story later this morning.

Coulombe is more interested in getting back on the active roster. He tossed a scoreless eighth inning last night, stranding two runners.

“Surgery’s a tricky thing,” he said. “There’s a lot of things that can happen through it. I’m just thankful that it went pretty well, it went pretty smooth. For a 34-year-old old guy, you just never know, but I’m just really happy to be back here with the guys.”

Coulombe received a video tribute and rousing ovation as he warmed up.

“It’s the first time in my career I’ve had anything like that,” he said. “That was pretty cool. So thank you, Baltimore.”

“It was awesome seeing him out there,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “Great for the fan reaction, too. I know the guys in the dugout appreciated that. What he's done here for the last two years and how much we’ve missed him this second half, for people to recognize that, put some highlights on the scoreboard, I thought that was a classy touch for somebody who's done a lot here in the last two years.”