Orioles’ Double-Play Combo Of Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday Truly Are Rare Birds
Image credit: Jackson Holliday #7 of the Baltimore Orioles high-fives Gunnar Henderson #2 after a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on April 10, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
UPDATE: Story updated to reflect pre-expansion era double-play combos.
The Orioles’ homegrown middle infield of shortstop Gunnar Henderson and second baseman Jackson Holliday will be together for a long time.
Henderson won American League Rookie of the Year last year and is under Baltimore club control through 2028.
Holliday is a favorite to win ROY this year—though the AL class is deep with the Rangers’ duo of Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford and the Rays’ Junior Caminero—and will be tied to the Orioles through the 2029 season.
Long before that point, Henderson and Holliday may establish a new precedent.
They have a chance to become the longest-tenured lefthanded-hitting double-play combo in MLB history.
A club having a lefthanded hitter at both shortstop and second base is a rare occurrence. Just 24 teams in history have had lefthanded hitters who batted at least 450 times at both positions. And nine of the 24 instances were repeat appearances by a double-play combo.
According to Baseball-Reference.com Stathead, the teams with regular lefthanded-hitting double-play combos are:
1909-10 Giants: Al Bridwell, Larry Doyle
1913 Cubs: Al Bridwell, Johnny Evers
1921-22 White Sox: Eddie Collins, Ernie Johnson
1926-28 Tigers: Charlie Gehringer, Jackie Tavener
1937-38 Senators: Buddy Myer, Cecil Travis
1955 Red Sox: Billy Goodman, Billy Klaus
1963 Athletics: Wayne Causey, Jerry Lumpe
1964-65 Tigers: Jerry Lumpe, Dick McAuliffe
1966-67 Astros: Sonny Jackson, Joe Morgan
1985-86 Brewers: Jim Gantner, Ernie Riles
2010 D-backs: Stephen Drew, Kelly Johnson
2016-17 Giants: Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik
2016 Dodgers: Corey Seager, Chase Utley
2022 Mariners: J.P. Crawford, Adam Frazier
2023 Nationals: CJ Abrams, Luis Garcia Jr.
The 2024 Orioles are likely to join this list. Same goes for the 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028 Orioles.
Side note: Baltimore’s beltway rivals in Washington also could add multiple entries with CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia.
The rarity of lefthanded-hitting double-play combos is largely a function of shortstops being primarily righthanded or switch hitters. Historically, most righthanded throwers—a prerequisite to play any non-first base infield position—also bat righthanded.
About 73% of major league shortstops who played long enough to accrue 1,000 plate appearances batted righthanded. Another 18% were switch-hitters, leaving 9% as lefthanded hitters.
The best lefthanded-hitting shortstops in history are Hall of Famer Arky Vaughan and two-time World Series MVP Corey Seager. The number of young lefthanded-hitting shortstops in MLB today is notable and includes Henderson, Abrams and Oneil Cruz.
At second base, the share of lefthanded hitters with 1,000 PAs is roughly 18%, or double the shortstop rate.
One other reason for the relative rarity of lefthanded-hitting double-play combos is simply the inherent platoon disadvantage lefthanded hitters face against lefthanded pitchers. A manager who has lefthanded hitters at two key defensive positions could find himself in a bind in late-and-close situations against southpaws where the logical play is to pinch-hit a righthanded batter.
The Orioles’ roster is structured well in this regard. They can pinch-hit for Henderson or Holliday and still have Jorge Mateo capable of playing plus defense at either middle infield spot.
And while Henderson loses nearly 300 OPS points when facing lefthanded pitchers, Holliday is a stronger pure hitter who will probably not be as subject to platoon splits once he finds his sea legs in MLB.
The Orioles have a lot to look forward to this decade, and their rare lefthanded-hitting double-play combo is a big reason why.
