Gunnar Henderson Scooby-Doo bat: Why Orioles star is using custom bat in Home Run Derby

Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson positioned himself as an MVP candidate with an excellent first half in which he finished with his 28th home run of the season on Sunday. Will that power carry over into Monday's Home Run Derby?

The 23-year-old will have some help, sort of. He'll be using a custom Scooby-Doo-themed bat that reads "Zoinks"

The Orioles saw their season end at Globe Life Park last October. The best way to push those memories out of mind might be Henderson lifting the Home Run Derby trophy on the Rangers' home turf. Can the power of Scooby-Doo be the difference?

Here's what you need to know about Henderson's custom Scooby-Doo bat.

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Gunnar Henderson Scooby-Doo bat, explained

Henderson will be blasting home runs with a blue, orange, and green Scooby-Doo-themed bat on Monday night. The bat reads "Zoinks!" on the end, referencing Shaggy's catchphrase from the iconic cartoon.

The other side of the bat says "ruh-roh!" in reference to Scooby-Doo's signature line.

Henderson has one known connection to Scooby-Doo: He can do a pretty stellar Scooby-Doo impression.

The Orioles posted a video of Henderson sharing his Scooby-Doo and Jar Jar Binks impressions with teammates Adley Rutschman and Colton Cowser in June, and the young All-Star nailed it.

It was only a few seconds, but Henderson proved he has some real familiarity with the TV detective dog. He told ESPN's Buster Olney before Monday's derby that his Scooby-Doo impression was a major reason for his use of the bat.

Scooby-Doo originally aired from 1969-76, but the success of the brand turned the TV show into an entire media franchise. A handful of reboots and remakes have followed over the past few decades, and Henderson has evidently seen enough of them to develop a pretty impressive Scooby-Doo impression despite being born in 2001.

If Henderson wins the Home Run Derby, it might not be fair to credit the Scooby-Doo bat alone. He leads the field with 28 home runs this season and is near the top of the league in nearly all key metrics, including hard-hit rate. It can't hurt, though, can it?