Colton Cowser entered the season as the Orioles’ fourth outfielder without a clear path to consistent playing time.
It took just two weeks for the 24-year-old rookie to create an everyday role for himself, and once he did, Cowser played so well he was named the American League Player of the Week, MLB announced Monday.
Cowser, who Baseball America ranks as the No. 32 prospect in the sport, went 10-for-23 (.435 batting average) with four home runs, 12 RBIs, four doubles, three walks and two stolen bases. He led the majors in RBIs, slugging percentage, OPS (1.611) and total bases during his breakout last week.
“I’m not too sure right now,” Cowser said about what’s behind his hot start on MLB Network, overcoming his teammates throwing sunflower seeds at him during the interview. “Just going to keep with it and hopefully it lasts for a long time.”
The 2021 No. 5 overall pick broke out at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox, tallying 10 RBIs in the three-game sweep. He homered over the Green Monster in left field — a difficult feat for a left-handed hitter — and put one out to a deep part of right field in the same game for the first two long balls of his nascent career. He was the first player in Orioles history to total 10 RBIs in a series at Fenway Park.
He then homered twice more — once Friday and once Sunday — against the Milwaukee Brewers, including a left-on-left big fly to prove he’s capable of handling quality left-handed pitchers.
Cowser barely played in Baltimore’s first series against the Los Angeles Angels and didn’t start until the club’s fifth game. But as Austin Hays began slumping at the plate, Cowser took over and is on his way to becoming a mainstay in manager Brandon Hyde’s lineup. He’s hitting .441 with an eye-popping 1.444 OPS that is 235 points better than any other MLB hitter with at least 30 plate appearances.
“He’s given us a huge spark,” Hyde said before Monday’s game against the Minnesota Twins with Cowser starting in right field and batting fifth. “He had a heckuva week. Just from the power, the speed, the ability to use the whole field. He’s played really good defense for us, played really good left field in Boston, played center field here a couple nights ago. The ability to take a walk and understanding the strike zone, I think that’s huge for him and huge for any major league hitter.
“Awesome to see him come on the scene early in the year this year and get some huge hits for us.”
On top of his "unafraid to crash and burn" mentality, Colton Cowser's swing changes have also led to his breakout. His 1.444 OPS leads all MLB hitters with at least 20 plate appearances.
On Cowser's swing changes: https://t.co/nOfJwj1jEd pic.twitter.com/ivCjYLlKKq
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) April 15, 2024
Bradish making way back
Right-hander Kyle Bradish is beginning his minor league rehabilitation assignment Tuesday with Double-A Bowie, the Baysox announced Monday.
Bradish, the Orioles’ best starting pitcher last year, suffered a sprained ulnar collateral ligament — technically a partial tear — in January that delayed the start of his season. He received platelet-rich plasma injections after the injury to help speed his recovery, although the efficacy of the treatment varies depending on the pitcher and severity of damage to the ligament.
The Orioles and Bradish have been pleased with his recovery so far. He was originally scheduled to begin his rehab assignment last week with High-A Aberdeen, but inclement weather on his start day forced the Orioles to have Bradish throw a live bullpen session instead.
When he takes the mound for the Baysox, it will begin his clock to return to Baltimore — potentially bolstering a rotation that’s performed well so far this season. Rehab assignments cannot last more than 30 days, meaning if Bradish remains healthy, he should return to the Orioles no later than mid-May. Hyde said the goal for Bradish’s first rehab outing is to throw 40 to 50 pitches in two or three innings.
It’s possible when Bradish returns that Baltimore’s rotation will be at full strength, as left-hander John Means, who has started three games on his rehab assignment, will likely return later this month or early next.
Jackie Robinson Day
Monday is Jackie Robinson Day around MLB, with every player donning No. 42 jerseys to commemorate the legendary player who broke the color barrier.
Cedric Mullins, the Orioles’ center fielder, said the way to get more Black kids playing baseball is to provide more “resources” to those communities.
“Baseball is expensive,” said Mullins, who is Black. “It’s something that doesn’t go unnoticed. To be able to provide resources like gloves, bats, things like that, opportunity to be noticed. A big part of this game is exposure, as well. To be able to create that opportunity for those kids to get out there and show what they can do, showcase themselves, plays a big part.”
Dillon Tate, a right-handed reliever, said it’s an honor to be one of the approximately 6% of Black MLB players — a percentage that is less than half that of the national figure.
“Any way we can get Black players back in the game is great,” Tate said. “Today is a big day for me to be an example. So, I’m happy to be that example.”
Around the horn
• Cody Sedlock, the Orioles’ first-round pick in 2016 and the club’s No. 2 prospect in 2017, is making his return to professional baseball. The right-hander announced on social media that he signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox. Sedlock’s only career MLB appearance came in 2022 with the Orioles. He last pitched in professional ball at the end of that season for the Detroit Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate.
• Legendary New York Yankees radio announcer John Sterling announced his retirement Monday. Sterling has a 50-year-old Baltimore connection, beginning his broadcasting career in Charm City as the Bullets’ play-by-play announcer in 1970-71. He also announced Morgan State football games in the 1970s. He called hundreds of Orioles-Yankees games since 1989.
• Former MLB pitcher Ken Holtzman, who pitched the first half of the 1976 season for the Orioles, died Sunday. He was 78. Holtzman was included in two of the most famous trades in Orioles history. In April 1976, he came over from the Oakland Athletics in the trade that brought Reggie Jackson to Baltimore. In June 1976, he was in the 10-player trade with the Yankees that brought Rick Dempsey, Scott McGregor and Tippy Martinez to Baltimore.