Baltimore Orioles star Gunnar Henderson left the team's spring training game on Thursday in the first inning with an injury. Henderson immediately went to see the team trainers, and the Orioles are awaiting further update.
Even if Henderson ends up being okay, Baltimore's infield plan was exposed on Thursday. Jackson Holliday is listed as the team's backup shortstop, and he is the starting second baseman. Unfortunately for the O's, Holliday cannot be two places at once. Thus, the minute someone like Henderson (or even Holliday himself) goes down, the O's are thrust into an awkward position.
Perhaps most importantly, while Holliday can play shortstop, it's not his strong point. Per Baseball America, Holliday averaged just over 78 MPH throws from shortstop to first base in Triple-A Norfolk in 2023. That number has not improved much since because it hasn't had to. BA went on to put Holliday's arm strength in perspective:
"Of the 65 MLB shortstops who had enough throws to qualify for a Statcast ranking in 2023, just three—Nick Ahmed, Thairo Estrada and David Fletcher—averaged throws slower than Holliday’s 78.4 mph. And 38 of the 65 qualified MLB shortstops had a higher average velocity on their throws than Holliday’s max throw of 83.1 mph," JJ Cooper wrote.
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Jackson Holliday's weakness could come into play for Orioles if Gunnar Henderson misses time
At one point, Holliday projected as a shortstop of third baseman. While he could certainly be a short-term replacement for Henderson at short, there is a reason the Orioles want him to play second base. Heck, Baltimore even brought in team legend Brian Roberts to help Holliday and Henderson work on their double play combination.
"You look at the young position players in this organization, and it is really a treat to get to work with them," Roberts said of working with Henderson and Holliday. "They're so talented...They love to learn. They're just humble, humble superstars."
If Henderson were to miss time, whether it be due to this injury or another unfortunate incident, it would make Roberts visit for naught. Roberts specifically discussed how he's trying to help Holliday get more comfortable in a middle infield spot, and working with Henderson.
"One of the things we've been working on quite a bit is the feed from second to short on the double play," Roberts said. "One of the things that he has a tendency to do right now is get his feet a little crossed up...What we're working on is really squaring his body, learning that backhand power feed."
Holliday has experience at all of these positions, and that kind of versatility is rare among a player of his caliber. However, there is a clear downgrade between the former No. 1 prospect playing second base as compared to shortstop or third base. MLB has capable baserunners, and if Holliday's arm is not up to par, he is not an acceptable long-term backup plan on the left side of the infield.