SARASOTA, Fla. — Gunnar Henderson, despite his talent and accolades, is usually humble when speaking in the Orioles’ clubhouse.
He doesn’t brag like one of the best young players in baseball. He often addresses people as “sir” or “ma’am” – a result of his southern roots. Last season, he once joked that he was waiting for his “manpower” to arrive after hitting a 462-foot home run off Eutaw Street at age 21.
But that modesty is what baseball is all about. There’s another topic that takes up a portion of his nights — and some of his teammates — during spring training that Henderson isn’t shy about bragging about.
“Who is the best at fishing?” Henderson said, repeating the question as if the answer were obvious. “Uh, me. Sure.”
Henderson and some of the Orioles’ best young players are staying at home in Sarasota this spring: Adley Rutschman, Ryan Mountcastle, Kyle Stowers and Colton Cowser. After a long day at the ballpark, most of them head to the dock behind their house and relax by fishing – or, for some, trying to fish – during the Sarasota sunset.
“It’s just nice to get off the field and go out and hang out, especially when it’s a nice day,” Cowser said. “Decompress. You have nothing to worry about outside. Go home, throw a line in the water and hang out.”
There is no debate about which player in the group is the best at fishing, although it pains them to admit it.
“Unfortunately,” said Stowers, “it’s Gunnar.”
Henderson, a Selma, Alabama, native, grew up fishing. He listed the species of fish they caught: mangrove snapper, sheepshead, trout and catfish, among others.
The 22-year-old entered spring training with perhaps more pressure than any other spring in his young career. He was one of the Orioles’ best players last season and won the American League Rookie of the Year Award. Entering his second full season as a big leaguer, some expect him to take another step toward becoming a superstar. Meanwhile, he spent the first few weeks of spring training nursing an oblique injury he suffered in the offseason.
“It was really fun getting out there with them,” Henderson said. “Having all the guys at the house, making those memories — it’s fun. You’re bridging the gap between an easier spring for a long time.”
Mountcastle is the most experienced player in the house at the ripe old age of 27. He spent several springs in Sarasota, and knows the importance of being able to take a mental break from work.
Most days, Orioles players show up at the Ed Smith Stadium complex between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. Before games start, they don’t leave until the wee hours of the morning with meetings, weight training, on -field practice and live batting practice. taking up their time. Now that exhibition games have begun — the team will play 32 this spring — those days are longer into the afternoon, including traveling up and down Florida’s Suncoast.
“It was great,” Mountcastle said of sunset fishing with his friends. “Spring training has its advantages, especially down here in Sarasota, an awesome place. Just to get out there, relax and decompress and at least try to catch a fish is a lot of fun for the guys .”
When he was younger, Mountcastle would stay at a nearby hotel, but he lived in houses with teammates last spring. To fit the quintet — in addition to some of their significant others — requires a big house, even for professional athletes, they don’t want to break their back accounts too much.
“We wanted to get a nice house,” Mountcastle said. “Down there it’s pretty expensive to get a decent house, so we tried to sort as many people out there as we could to make it less expensive. We love it. It was definitely worth it.”
Cowser is among a talented group of young outfielders competing for a spot on Baltimore’s opening day roster. The 23-year-old was one of the Orioles’ top prospects, but he struggled after making his MLB debut last season. He hit .115 with 22 strikeouts in 77 plate appearances before being demoted to Triple-A.
The quiet environment helped him stay confined while at the complex, he said. The outfielder was 3-for-8 with two home runs and three walks in the Orioles’ first week of Grapefruit League games.
“It’s good to get away from the game when you’re not on the field,” he said. “If you are [at the field], you’re all here. And then to have that escape and reset for the next day is great.
Cowser has fishing experience, though he’s not as polished as Henderson — a fact the infielder was quick to point out.
“Maybe Cowser will have something to say about it,” Henderson said with a smile. “But I had to remove the fish to get him started. And they were all afraid of getting the shrimp, so Cowser went out and bought a little net. I don’t want to throw them under the bus, but you have to if you’re in line.”
It is also not disputed who is the worst among them. Stowers, a California native and a standout at Stanford University, acknowledges that he is the “least experienced” of the group.
“I wouldn’t say he’s the worst,” said Henderson, now diplomatic. “But this is Kyle’s first time fishing. We need to break him in the southern ways.”
Mountcastle also voted Stowers off the island — but the slugger knew he wasn’t far behind.
“I love the boy, but that’s Stowey. He’s a Cali guy,” he said. “But we’re both probably 1A and 1B for worst angler.”
In fairness to Stowers, Rutschman didn’t often join the crew on fishing excursions, usually watching from the pool. “Adley is a little shaky,” said Cowser, though a video released by the team on social media The All-Star catcher is shown proudly saying that he recently caught a fish.
“I’m not sure what his stick skills are,” Mountcastle said. “But he has enough skills in the field.”
Fishing after a long day reminds Cowser of the old saying his father told him growing up: “A bad day fishing is better than a good day at the office.”
For this crew, the fishing may be bad, but their performance at the office is expected to be anything but.
