2025 Fantasy Baseball: Gunnar Henderson Profile, Preview, Predictions
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In his sophomore campaign wiith the Baltimore Orioles, Gunnar Henderson lived up to fantasy expectations and more. His bat reached eilte status while still not touching his ceiling. In 2025, expectations will be higher and he looks poised to shine again.
Gunnar Henderson hits his 3rd home run in the last 4 games! pic.twitter.com/5TRoZpGvFr
— MLB (@MLB) September 7, 2024
SS – Gunnar Henderson, BAL (ADP – 5.7)
Henderson jumped out of the gate in April (.291/25/10/24/6 over 117 at-bats), followed by two productive months in power (.287 with 48 runs, 16 home runs, 34 RBIs, and seven stolen bases over 209 at-bats). He lost his edge in production after the All-Star break (.273/40/9/29/7 over 253 at-bats).
His strikeout rate (22.1) improved over the second half of the year (19.9). Henderson offered an edge in his walk rate (10.9). He was a top-tier player in exit velocity (92.8 mph – 14th) and hard-hit rate (53.9 – 9th), leading to an uptick in his HR/FB rate (23.9). His swing path remains groundball favoring (46.7%).
Since arriving in Baltimore, Henderson posted a plus contact batting average (.376) while still having a higher ceiling based on his minor league career (.402). His average hit rate (1.881) supports 30+ home runs. He finished 2024 with only 348 RBI chances due to having 75.7% of his at-bats from the leadoff spot.
Fantasy Outlook: Last year, the Orioles ranked fourth in runs scored (786) and second in home runs (235). Baltimore moved in their left field wall in some areas in the offseason, but it won’t help Henderson too much due to him batting lefty. His success on the basepaths (31-for-38) over the past two seasons invites more chances in 2024. In a way, Henderson has a chance to develop into the player in the realm of Mike Trout while trailing him in launch angle and his fly-ball swing path. Trending toward a batting title with the tools to be a 120/40/120/40 player. Ideally, I’d like Jackson Holliday to seize the Orioles’ leadoff job, giving Henderson a chance to bat third.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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