The Orioles picked a great time to trade this struggling prospect

In 19 games with the Orioles in 2024, outfielder Kyle Stowers hit .306 with 4 doubles and a homer while chipping in solid defense in the limited sample.

The results were driven by an unsustainably high .435 BABIP but his performance up to the trade deadline was a sign that Stowers might have finally turned into a long-term piece for this Orioles team.

How quickly that mindset has changed in the short time the young lefty has been in Miami. It's certainly a small sample size, but it looks like Stowers left his A-game in Baltimore.

Kyle Stowers is falling apart with the Marlins

In 9 games since arriving in Miami, Stowers is hitting .071/.161/.071. He's yet to notch his first extra base hit as a Marlin, and has collected just one walk while striking out in 14 of his 31 plate appearances.

The strikeouts have always been a problem for Stowers, even in the minors. He'd posted a 25% strikeout rate in Triple-A Norfolk this year, but had typically posted strikeout rates north of 30% in the minors. Even during his good stretch in Baltimore this year, he was striking out 35% of the time.

His plate discipline looked much better back in 2022 but we're two years removed from that, with a substantial amount of evidence that his current approach is untenable for a major league starter.

Fortunately for the Marlins, Stowers still has two option years remaining. He's likely going to get quite a bit of leash throughout the next two months but if we get to the middle of September and he's still not hitting, it seems certain that Stowers will find himself back in the minors.

It's unfortunate for fans, especially those of us who were high on the young lefty a couple years back. He's always been an exciting prospect, showing plenty of power in the minors. However, things haven't panned out as we'd hoped.

Stowers struggled to find playing time in an outfield crowded with good players, guys like Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander, Austin Hays, and Ryan O'Hearn. He forced his way into playing time back in 2022 but couldn't find a rhythm between 2023 and this year.

Fans weren't terribly happy when he was dealt to Miami along with fellow prospect Connor Norby. That's largely because we still have high expectations for Stowers.

However, he's now spent parts of three seasons in the majors and he hasn't been able to stick in a full time role. He'll get the opportunity to earn the job in Miami but if things keep going in the current direction, it'll look like a shrewd move from Mike Elias to trade the young outfielder while he still had a decent amount of value.