Last May, the Baltimore Orioles were 16-24 when the called up catcher prospect Adley Rutschman.
Rutschman changed the whole franchise outlook and helped them win more games than they lost for the first time since 2016.
He proved that a prospect can have a huge impact on a franchise.
For Baltimore, infielder Gunnar Henderson can be this year’s Rutschman.
He was already up for a bit last year and excelled as a major leaguer after putting up some impressive numbers in the minors.
He is now considered baseball’s top prospect by just about every publication.
The future is bright 🤩
Here's a look at the top MLB prospects: pic.twitter.com/xpnPYY6q5e
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) January 31, 2023
Corbin Carroll was extremely good with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Francisco Alvarez showed what he can do in the majors with the New York Mets.
However, none of them are quite as good as Henderson.
A second-round pick in 2019, he had a .788 OPS and a .259/.348/.440 line in 132 MLB plate appearances.
The shortstop, who can also play third base, had a 126 wRC+, which means he was 26 percent better than the league average hitter.
Henderson hit four homers over those 132 trips to the plate.
He had hit eight in Double-A and 11 more in Triple-A, giving him 23 on the season.
He had the same number of stolen bases across all three levels.
All things considered, he has a safe floor and elite upside, he can hit for average, he can hit for power, he can run, he can field, and his arm is also good.
He has it all, and that’s why he is a cut above anybody else when it comes to prospects.
NEXT: Orioles GM Shares A Major 2023 Expectation
