Orioles' rookie Colton Cower has a path to make history with breakout season

Baltimore Orioles' outfielder Colton Cowser leads all qualified rookies, both position players and pitchers, with a 3.2 fWAR. His 18 homeruns is four more than any other rookie hitter. His eight Outs Above Average is not only the best among rookies but tied for 10th best across all of baseball. Right now, he is the favorite to win the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year.

24 year-old Cowser is listed as one of the betting favorites by some sportsbooks, followed by Yankees pitcher Luis Gil and catcher Austin Wells. Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu and outfielder/shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela round out the top five.

It will be a close race down the stretch, as Wilyer Abreu edges Cowser in a few key offensive categories. His 126 wRC+ and .833 OPS top Cowser's 118 wRC+ and .770 OPS.

Austin Wells could also make a case, as his 3.0 fWAR is second to Cowser's 3.2. Luis Gil's 3.39 ERA is also best among rookie starters, but he has struggled after posting a 2.03 ERA in his first 14 starts.

Where it stands now, Cowser has the edge; his power and stellar defense in the outfield have driven his WAR up, which is one of the most important categories when selecting the winners.

If he can finish the season strong and win the AL ROTY, Cowser would be the eighth Oriole to win the award, joining Ron Hansen (1960), Curt Blefary (1965), Al Bumbry (1973), Eddie Murray (1977), Cal Ripken Jr. (1982), Gregg Olson (1989), and Gunnar Henderson (2023).

Despite winning many ROTY awards, the O's have never won the award in back to back seasons.

Cowser and Henderson could be the first Orioles to win consecutive ROTY awards in franchise history

This would mark a huge accomplishment for the Orioles, as the same team has won consecutive awards only 13 times in baseball history — four times in the AL and nine times in the NL.

The Dodgers have done it three times and also have the longest streak with five consecutive ROTYs from 1992 to 1996.

The Athletics and Cardinals have each done it twice, and the Brooklyn Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Washington Senators, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, and Seattle Mariners round out the list with one each.

The last AL team to do it was the 2004-05 Athletics, as shortstop Bobby Crosby and reliever Huston Street took home the awards. The last NL team to do it was the 2016-17 Dodgers, as shortstop Corey Seager and first basemen Cody Bellinger took home the awards.

If Cowser takes home ROTY, the 2024-25 O's would be the first team in franchise history to win back to back ROTY awards, the first AL team to do it in 20 years, and only the 14th team to do it all time.

Beyond this, such an accomplishment would further enhance the growing reputation of GM Mike Elias and the Orioles' scouting and player development teams. They took Gunnar Henderson in 2019 (Round 2, Pick 42) and Colton Cowser in 2021 (Round 1, Pick 5). In just five seasons, they could turn two of their draft picks into Rookie of the Years. On draft day, any team would sign up for that.

There is still more than a month of baseball to be played, so nothing is guaranteed. But if Cowser can continue to deliver at the plate and in the outfield, the O's may join the exclusive list of clubs with back to back ROTY awards — and the Milkman can tell Gunnar to move over.