Gunnar Henderson, Orioles get early season love from ESPN

Shortstop Gunnar Henderson has been great so far in 2024. Perhaps not coincidentally, his Baltimore Orioles currently find themselves on top of the stacked American League East.

Henderson, 22, is blossoming into a superstar in the big leagues. Last season, his rookie season, he batted .255 with 28 home runs, 82 RBI with an OPS of .814 en route to winning the AL Rookie of the Year award.

Is Henderson good enough to already find himself in the AL MVP race, though? According to ESPN, which ranked Baltimore No. 2 in its Week 5 Power Rankings, the time is now.

"Gunnar Henderson for AL MVP? While there's still plenty of season left -- and several expected candidates -- the 22-year-old shortstop is the best player on a projected World Series contender. And that formula produces MVP votes," ESPN wrote.

Whether or not he does win the MVP, Henderson is without a doubt one of the game's brightest young stars. His 10 home runs are him keeping pace with the likes of Mike Trout and Marcell Ozuna, and he's certainly going to eclipse Trout now that the Angels superstar is once again injured. Henderson's OPS of .920 is also top 20 in the league.

Speaking of Ozuna, his Atlanta Braves are currently ESPN's No. 1 team in baseball. 

Their top five looks as such: No. 1 Atlanta Braves, No. 2 Baltimore Orioles, No. 3 Los Angeles Dodgers, No. 4. New York Yankees, No. 5 Philadelphia Phillies.