Henderson got my attention early 2024 in Palm Beach as a lefty, not throwing very hard, who seemed to have something going on with the fastball, as A‑ball hitters struggled to put wood on it. 2024 was up and down for Henderson, with a walk rate around 10% seeming too high for the guy I put eyes on a few times. I wonder if Henderson learned some lessons on nibbling. A push to AA after only 31 A+ IP felt a bit aggressive, but his first two outings have been impressive, particularly his 15 strikeouts in 10 IP. Curious what was going on, here are his 15 strikeouts thus far, in their entirety:
The fastball may have a tick more than last year. The attack is primarily FB/BB, but he does throw a cutter, a changeup, and supposedly a second breaker. Henderson is a pitcher. He locates well East/West and North/South. If there were a more prominent medium pitch offering, he’d be a candidate for some triangles we look for. He stays off the middle of the plate well. Sure, he may look a bit tougher for lefties above, but in 2024, his splits were reversed. A lefty who might be tougher on righties always gets my attention:
Call Henderson a high-pitchability soft-tossing lefty if you want, but that might be selling him short. The AA start is encouraging (and surprising, to be honest) Keeping an eye here might reap some surprising benefits for dynasty owners.