Gunnar Henderson Would See 132% Pay Increase With Home Run Derby Win

Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles is a budding star who has yet to receive his first big pay day in the MLB, but he has a chance to see a solid boost to his bank account during Monday night’s Home Run Derby.

Henderson Will See Big Pay Increase If He Can Win Home Run Derby

Gunnar Henderson can earn more than his entire 2024 salary tonight if he wins the Home Run Derby

✍️ @epjackson: https://t.co/etawJ4ZuKV

The winner’s prize is $1 million pic.twitter.com/Viz7SySq86

— Lev Akabas (@LevAkabas) July 15, 2024

The reigning American League Rookie of the Year has a salary that is in the six figures for 2024. Henderson is being paid just $756,200 for his services this season, making him one of the best bargains in baseball given his output and hand he’s had in the success of the Orioles thus far. He leads the team in hits, home runs, batting average, and more, yet there are 15 players on Baltimore’s roster that will earn more during the current campaign.

But the Home Run Derby can change things for Henderson a bit in that respect. The prize money for winning the yearly event is a cool $1 million, as well as a nice boost in exposure. That means that if Henderson were to win, his payout for playing baseball in 2024 would be $1,756,200, which would be an increase of over 132% from what is on his current paycheck.

Alonso Is The Favorite To Win

The Polar Bear is hungry for more.

Two-time #HRDerby champion Pete Alonso will be swinging for the fences in Arlington!

(MLB x @TMobile) pic.twitter.com/HfvI4QJRsw

— MLB (@MLB) July 8, 2024

This year’s Home Run Contest will feature some of the game’s best long ball hitters, but Henderson has a solid case for picking up the grand prize. He ranks 3rd in all of baseball in home runs with 28 so far this season, 2 more than fellow Derby competitor Marcell Ozuna, and 9 more than Pete Alonso.

Those two players, however, are the listed favorites. Alonso is known for his Home Run Derby prowess, and is listed as the +320 favorite while searching for his third title in the event. Ozuna comes in at +425, while Henderson sits at +450. Bobby Witt Jr, Adolis Garcia, Teoscar Hernandez, Jose Ramirez, and Alec Bohm round out his year’s field.

Henderson shared his thoughts on potentially winning the prize money, as told to Sportico:

It’s more than my yearly pay, so that would definitely help me in the savings [account] and down the road. That would be cool. But at the same time I’m doing it for the experience. If that’s what comes with it, I can’t complain about that, but just really looking forward to my first home run derby ever.

The 2024 Home Run Derby will be broadcasted on ESPN and will take place in Arlington, Texas.