You can almost hear the clock ticking. Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson gets better by the day—and more expensive.
It is nine in the morning at Orioles camp in Sarasota, Fla., and Henderson is taking groundballs on the half diamond known as Earl Weaver Field. No other players are around. Some are happily ensconced in the clubhouse, perhaps even enjoying a game of billiards. Five Orioles staff members are with Henderson.
“Taking groundballs” does not do justice to the exercise. Everything is done at game speed. One of the coaches, José Hernández, does not hit fungoes but instead takes full swings at baseballs tossed to him, the better to replicate how a ball reacts off a bat in a game. To field the balls, Henderson must move forward, to the forehand, to the backhand or hold his ground on smashes directly to him. Every throw he makes is game speed, as if a plus runner has hit the grounder. Wearing spikes, Henderson puts in about 15 minutes of non-stop, game-speed work. His day has just begun.
