Star In The Making! Baltimore Orioles Youngster on the Verge of Unleashing Full Potential
The Baltimore Orioles have as much young talent in their lineup as any team in baseball, which sometimes leads to players getting lost in the shuffle.
Everyone mentions shortstop Gunnar Henderson first as the face of the franchise. Catcher Adley Rutschman is arguably the best catcher in the game.
Having two players of that caliber to build around is something most teams do not have the luxury of.
But, the embarrassment of riches that the Orioles possess don’t stop there.
Other youngsters have broken out, such as infielder Jordan Westburg, who earned a spot on the All-Star team in 2024, his first full season as a Major Leaguer.
Another talented young player that is only scratching the surface of his potential is outfielder Colton Cowser.
He finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting, with New York Yankees starting pitching Luis Gil taking home the award.
Not many people would guess, but amongst the platers who had at least 450 plate appearances for Baltimore last year, it was Cowser who placed No. 3 with an OPS+ of 123.
A slash line of .242/.321/.447 was recorded as he hit 24 home runs, 24 doubles and three triples, driving in 69 runs and scoring 77 times himself.
The home runs and runs scored led all AL rookies and most impressively, he didn’t wear down in the second half of the season.
In 270 plate appearances, he had a slash line of .268/.337/.477 with 12 home runs, 11 doubles, two triples and 35 RBI. Across 291 plate appearances in the first half, he had an underwhelming .219/.306/.418 slash line with 12 home runs, 13 doubles, two triples and 34 RBI.
As the season wore on and he got more comfortable with Major League pitching, his production took off.
It is a major reason why Nick Selbe of Sports Illustrated ranked Cowser as the No. 24 player on his list of the top 25 players under the age of 25.
This will be his only time on the list, as he turns 25 years old on Mar. 20.
But, if he were to remain on it, there is a clear avenue for him to continue moving up the ranks and eventually become an All-Star caliber player like his teammates; cut down on the strikeouts.
Cowser had a 30.7% strikeout rate in 2024, well above the league average of 22.7%. It was impressive that he put up the numbers he did failing to put the ball in play as often as he did.
If he can start shaving that percentage down, damage will be done.
He smashed the ball with a 90.3 mph average exit velocity and 46.1% hard-hit rate. The more balls he puts into play, the more he will produce.
