The Orioles might be backing their way into the playoffs, but Gunnar Henderson is barreling toward a strong finish to his breakout season.

Coming off a sluggish August, the shortstop has regained the form that made him a leading candidate for the American League Most Valuable Player Award over the first half of the year. The 23-year-old has reached base in all but two games in September, raising his season batting average to .283 to go with 37 home runs, 21 stolen bases and a .903 OPS.

“Felt like earlier in the year, I was doing what I felt like I really wanted to and then kind of started scuffling a little bit but felt like, overall, it’s been a pretty consistent year and I’ve been happy with that,” Henderson said. “But also even more happy with the room to grow, room to learn and felt like the experiences I’ve gained this second half are really going to help me down the road.”

Named the Most Valuable Oriole for the second consecutive year, Henderson has put himself in rare company with his follow-up to his 2023 AL Rookie of the Year campaign. He’s already the second-youngest player in Orioles history with a 30-homer, 20-steal season trailing only Manny Machado (2015) and sits three home runs shy of being the youngest 40-20 player. His OPS is on pace for the best mark by a player 23 or younger since Boog Powell in 1964.

Even putting age aside, Henderson’s season stands out. He surpassed 8 wins above replacement (WAR) by FanGraphs’ calculations over the weekend, becoming the first Oriole to accumulate that high a total since Cal Ripken Jr. finished with 10.6 WAR in 1991. The most basic statistics support his case as well: Henderson’s 116 runs scored are tied for sixth most in Orioles history and he could climb as high as second with a strong finish this week.

“The guy never feels like he should get out,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “When he makes an out, he never feels like that the pitcher got him out, that he should never get out, and that’s just how he’s wired. He’s just wired that he’s got an incredible amount of confidence for somebody that young.”

While Henderson has proved that he can conquer the regular season, the playoffs offer a larger stage for the shortstop to cement himself as one of the best up-and-coming superstars in the majors. Barring an epic collapse, the Orioles will clinch a playoff spot this week to give their young core led by Henderson a chance at redemption after the Texas Rangers swept them out of the AL Division Series last fall.

“The postseason is a special thing and I think last year especially, going out in the first round, I think guys are pretty fired up about that,” reliever Danny Coulombe said. “They did not like that feeling so we’re just going to go out and compete pitch by pitch and just hopefully it works out.”

Their early exit was hardly Henderson’s fault as he went 6-for-12 with a homer and three runs scored across the three games. He did, however, get thrown out attempting to steal second base in the ninth inning of Game 1, ending a potential rally in an eventual 3-2 Rangers win. He feels both he and the rest of the Orioles’ young stable of budding stars have learned from their playoff experience and a trying second half in which Baltimore has gone 28-32.

“We’re a little bit more battle-tested this year,” Henderson said. “Obviously, it hadn’t been just one smooth, smooth line like it kind of was last year and feel like that’s really going to benefit us down the road.”

What’s next?

The Orioles head into their final week of the regular season with their magic number down to two. They head to New York for a three-game series with the Yankees in position to clinch a playoff spot Tuesday if they win the series opener and the Minnesota Twins lose to the Miami Marlins. The AL East, on the other hand, is just about out of reach. Baltimore can only win the division if it wins all six of its final games and the Yankees lose out.

Should the Orioles be unable to clinch a wild-card spot in New York, their final chance to do so will come in Minneapolis where the Orioles will play three against the Twins. Minnesota is battling for a postseason spot as well, entering play Monday one game behind the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals for the final AL wild-card spot.

What was good?

If the Orioles opt for a rotation of Corbin Burnes, Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer for the wild-card round, they’re going to be leaning on three starters who are all pitching as well as they have all season. They combined for a 2.84 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 19 innings this week highlighted by Burnes’ second consecutive seven-inning scoreless start.

Over the past three turns of the rotation, the trio has posted a 2.04 ERA while only failing to complete at least six innings once. Despite injuries to Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells — as well as to Grayson Rodriguez, who faces an uphill battle trying to build up as a starter in time for the playoffs — the Orioles’ rotation appears to be one of the team’s biggest strengths with the playoffs looming.

What wasn’t?

Simply put, the Orioles’ ability to win. Baltimore went 2-4, dropping back-to-back series to the Tigers and San Francisco Giants. The offense — aside from a five-homer, seven-run explosion Friday — continued to struggle to score . The bullpen also experienced a few hiccups, none worse than the 10-0 loss Tuesday that proved to be the final straw for Craig Kimbrel in his bid to return to form.

The Orioles have lost five consecutive series, a trend that doesn’t bode well with the playoffs just over a week away. They did get both Jordan Westburg and Ramón Urías back from the injured list Sunday, though their returns didn’t immediately translate to a win. Baltimore has six games left to find some sort of groove before the results really start to matter.

On the farm

Norfolk became the last of the Orioles’ minor league affiliates to finish its season Sunday, falling to the Nashville Sounds, 12-3, to finish 69-81. The defending Triple-A national champions slowly emptied their roster of major league-ready prospects, backfilling with what the Orioles hope will be their next wave of promising young talent.

Jackson Holliday, Coby Mayo and Heston Kjerstad have given way to Samuel Basallo, Dylan Beavers and Jud Fabian. All three are expected to be invited to major league spring training next year, but they will all likely return to Norfolk for the start of 2025.