Humbled Tides star Gunnar Henderson makes cover of Baseball America

Minor league baseball, by its very nature, keeps families apart for months at a time.

Parents might go from February to October without seeing their sons, who are traveling parts of the country on buses and planes as most work toward a day when they can afford to fly the family in at will.

Back home in Alabama, Gunnar Henderson’s family members have a new way of seeing him anytime they want.

A star Norfolk Tides infielder, Henderson is featured on the cover of the current issue of Baseball America, a top industry resource read throughout the game. The 21-year-old first laid eyes on the print edition this week when someone presented it for him to sign.

“It’s pretty cool,” Henderson said. “Just being able to see that in person for the first time was pretty cool. I just can’t thank God enough for allowing me to have the opportunity to be able to be on that. Just being able to have that back home, I know my mom will love that.”

There’s plenty more for a mother to love. In addition to his budding, helium-filled career, Henderson is impossibly respectful and well-mannered.

First-year Tides manager Buck Britton, a former longtime minor league player who couldn’t recall having an active teammate on BA’s cover, doesn’t expect the exposure to go to Henderson’s head.

“Humble’s a pretty good word,” Britton said. “This is a really, really good kid — down to earth. He’s polite. I tell him every day to stop calling me ‘sir.’ It’s incredible.”

Henderson, a second-round draft pick by the parent Baltimore Orioles out of Selma’s John T. Morgan Academy in 2019, has been one of the organization’s most consistent players.

At five levels in just three pro seasons, Henderson entered Saturday batting .276 with 35 home runs and 147 RBIs in 225 games.

He was batting .295 with nine homers, nine doubles, three triples and 27 RBIs through 44 games for the Tides this season since his June 6 promotion from Double-A Bowie.

Leading off in Friday’s 7-2 victory over Nashville, Henderson went 2 for 4 with a double and a seventh-inning solo homer.

Fellow infielder Jordan Westburg, who has split time with Henderson at shortstop and third base this season while also playing some at second, arrived in Norfolk from Bowie the same day as Henderson.

Westburg, a 23-year-old Texan, was happy to see Henderson on the magazine cover.

“That’s a big accomplishment for any young baseball player,” Westburg said. “I’m happy for him. I’m excited for him. Obviously, he’s a big part of this organization and a big part of this team. It’s cool to see the recognition he’s getting.”

The level of recognition is rare. In recent years, only former Tides catcher Adley Rutschman, once the top prospect in all of baseball, has graced the cover of Baseball America.

Henderson is the top-ranked position player in Baltimore’s organization according to MLB.com, second overall only to injured right-hander Grayson Rodriguez.

Britton, whose nine-year career included parts of four seasons in Norfolk, is the older brother of former Tides lefty and injured New York Yankees reliever Zack Britton.

When jokingly asked whether he’d ever been on BA’s cover, Britton’s guffaw filled his Harbor Park office.

“I don’t think I was ever in Baseball America — unless you combine the names Buck Showalter and Zack Britton,” he said. “I had no shot.”

Henderson, though, could be a candidate for other magazine covers as his career unfolds. Orioles fans are already clamoring for his promotion, and a recent phony Twitter post reporting the ghost transaction had them in an uproar.

Westburg, for one, gets the hype.

“I’ve been able to play with him a lot since joining the organization,” Westburg said. “It’s cool to see his growth. It’s cool to see his maturity coming along, especially as young as he is. It’s pretty special.”

Britton remains equally impressed.

“The physical tools are impressive for a kid that age,” the skipper said. “The baseball IQ is impressive for that age. Also, the young man that he is. He’s a kid that’s super respectful, works his tail off. He’s always probably been the best player everywhere he’s gone, so to have that work ethic and to be the type of human being he is is really impressive.”

After a round of batting practice this week, Henderson was asked whether he’s been surprised at his instant success at the Triple-A level.

True to form, he was polite, but confident.

“No, sir,” he said. “I feel like it’s just a testament to the work I put in. This is what I wanted to do my whole life, so I’ve worked for it my whole life. To see it paying off is really special, but this isn’t where I want to be at the end of the day. I want to be doing this at the major league level. Work never stops.”

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com