The Alabama State Senate honored Baltimore Orioles star Gunnar Henderson on his American League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year award.
Congratulations to Selma native, Gunnar Henderson, on being named the American League Rookie of the Year—leading all rookies in home runs, triples, RBIs, and runs scored while playing for the Baltimore Orioles. Keep up the hard work, Gunnar. Alabama is rooting for you. pic.twitter.com/IfSMCU0O8C
— Will Ainsworth (@willainsworthAL) February 8, 2024
Senator Greg Reed even went so far as to extend Henderson an invite to the Alabama senate softball team, who according to Reed has a big game coming up against the House.
The Senate honored Selma native, @G_Henderson2, for winning the Jackie Robinson AL Rookie of the Year. You represent your home state so well, and we are so proud of all of your successes! We have a softball game against the House on March 20th, mind if we borrow him @orioles? pic.twitter.com/f4AAUE0KIf
— Senator Greg Reed (@SenatorGregReed) February 9, 2024
“I wanna go ahead and draft you to be a part of our softball team if you so desire,” Reed joked.
“Thank you for being here today, thank your family for being a part of this, you do a great job. Thank you for being a great ambassador for the state of Alabama,” Reed told Henderson.
Henderson, who was born in Montgomery and grew up in Selma, had a phenomenal rookie year for Baltimore. He had a batting average of .256 along with 32 home runs and 100 RBIs.
Though Baltimore was swept in the first round by the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers, Henderson was spectacular in the postseason with six hits and a home run in just 12 at bats.
On June 11th, Henderson hit a record-breaking 460 foot home run, making it the longest in Camden Yards history:
Henderson is one of the best young players in the sport and will only continue to get better throughout his young career.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP
