Orioles star rookie earns well deserved Players Choice award

For the third straight year, the Orioles have dipped into their farm system and pulled out a star. First, it was Adley Rutschman behind the plate in 2022. Then in 2023, it was Gunnar Henderson at shortstop. And with more than one top prospect still waiting in the wings, Colton Cowser came through and earned his spot in 2024.

Cowser made his brief major league debut toward the end of 2023 but came into his own this year. For the season, Cowser hit .242/.321/.447 with 24 homers, 9 steals, and 69 RBI in 153 games. He chipped in with some very good outfield defense, primarily in left field but also doing an admirable job covering center when needed.

All told, Cowser put up 4.0 fWAR and earned strong consideration for Rookie of the Year status. While we're still waiting for the BBWAA awards to be announced, the MLBPA has announced award winners of their own. And on Saturday, Cowser was named the 2024 American League's Outstanding Rookie by the MLBPA.

Many players consider the Players Choice awards to be a bit more prestigious, as the winners are voted on by their peers. The BBWAA awards are more well known by the public but both awards carry significant weight and this is an impressive achievement for Cowser.

Orioles rookie Colton Cowser earns the MLBPA American League Outstanding Rookie award

The bright side for the Orioles is that all signs point toward Cowser growing into a star outfielder. The defensive metrics love him - he posted 11 OAA and 3 DRS this year and projects as a capable corner outfielder who can cover center field if necessary.

The main knock on him is that he strikes out too much, which is fair. He ran a 30.7% strikeout rate this year, which was a bottom-10 mark across the league this year. However, he walked nearly 10% of the time and his expected stats, both xBA and xSLG, were right in line with where he ended up this year, meaning he didn't get lucky.

The primary obstacle heading into 2025 is the fact that Cowser broke his hand in the final game of the year. We all remember watching him go down swinging with the bases loaded, getting hit by a pitch outside the strike zone. It'll likely be a tough moment to get past but once that hand is healed, there shouldn't be anything stopping Cowser from coming back and raking next year.

The Orioles have a number of holes to fill this offseason but thankfully they found a gem in Cowser. He's poised to be a fixture in the O's outfield for years to come.