There’s a Rookie of the Year campaign brewing on the Baltimore Orioles, and it’s not Jackson Holliday. It’s former fifth overall pick Colton Cowser.
After a disappointing 26-game appearance in 2023, the 24-year-old outfielder has played his way to the top of the race.
According to VegasInsider, Cowser is the leading favorite for the American League honors, on all of BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel.
Through 31 games into 2024, he’s slashing .274/347/.571 with 6 home runs and 18 RBIs.
Most recently, Cowser was named AL Rookie of the Month in April.
He’s since fallen into a slump at the plate.
Prior to Baltimore’s May 5 win over the Cincinatti Reds, Cowser had gone 0-for-9 at the plate with 6 strikeouts in his last three games.
He got back on track with a 1-run double in the top of the ninth.
But it hasn’t affected his odds for the award, which would give the Orioles a second-straight winner after Gunnar Henderson won in 2023.
Cowser Vs. the Field
The next two players behind Cowser in ROY odds are Evan Carter of the Texas Rangers and Wilyer Abreu of the Boston Red Sox.
Within the current three-man race, Baltimore’s slugger leads the other two in all of home runs, RBIs, OPS, OPS+, and slugging percentage, according to Stathead.
But his 0.9 WAR (wins above replacement) ranks last amongst all three, with Abreu leading the pack at 1.5.
The Orioles’ outfielder also sits behind Abreu in batting average, with a deficit of .247 to .307.
Could there be an argument made against Cowser for playing with one of the best rosters in baseball?
Baltimore is the American League’s best team at 22-11. And they’ve got the second-best MLB record behind the Philadelphia Phillies.
Maybe. But maybe not, as Cowser’s become an everyday starter for the Orioles with Austin Hays sidelined.
Reuter Ranks Cowser 1st Among Rookies
Joel Reuter made an argument for the former fifth overall pick as the leading rookie in MLB in an May 1 column for Bleacher Report.
“However,” Reuter wrote. “His strong early performance and a calf strain that has landed Hays on the injured list has given him a run as the everyday left fielder and he is making the most of it with a 194 OPS+ that ranks fourth among all hitters with at least 80 plate appearances.”
Reuter thinks that Cowser’s hot start is sustainable. Which is why he wrote him in as MLB’s top rookie in 2024.
“The No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 draft,” Reuter continued. “Ranks among the MLB leaders in hard-hit rate (52.2%, 91st percentile), average exit velocity (91.0 mph, 77th percentile), barrel rate (17.4%, 97th percentile) and expected slugging (.555, 93rd percentile), making it easy to buy the sustainability of his hot start.”
Baltimore fans are hoping he’s right, and that Cowser’s three-game slump will be a thing of the past. He’s on the right track after snapping his slump in the Orioles’ latest win.
On an April 21 episode of “The Ryan Ripken Show,” Cowser talked about his approach to the season after a disappointing start in 2023.
“I’m going to dominate the opportunities that I get, to get the opportunities that I want,” He told Ripken. “That’s kind of the mindset that coming into this year was. I think that allowed me to kind of free up, and allowed me to be a lot more confident in myself and do whatever I can to help the team win. Especially being on a really good team. I also think it helps when you have a whole lot of dudes around you, playing, and balling.”
So far, it’s paid off for both Colton Cowser and the Baltimore Orioles alike.
A second-straight Rookie of the Year winner on a team in World Series conversations bodes well for the future at Camden Yards.
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