Orioles offseason wish list: Colton Cowser extension
Cowser is one of several young stars the Orioles should try to extend.
In Colton Cowser’s final at-bat of the 2024 season, he stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and one out with the Orioles down 2-1 to the Royals. He proceeded to strike out, his third of the game. The most horrifying thing about the strikeout was that strike three was a ball he swung through that ended up hitting him and breaking his hand. It was a truly undignified way to end his, and ultimately the Orioles, season.
If that is still what you think of when you think of Cowser, it’s ok. It’s what I thought of for a while after the Orioles were swept out of the Wild Card Series. When I thought back on that botched fifth-inning rally, I thought of Cowser swinging at the pitch that hit him. When it was announced that he had surgery on his hand, I was taken right back to it.
But some time passed, and on November 18th, I found myself watching MLB Network’s painful reveal of the 2024 Rookies of the Year. They stretched a 10-second announcement into an hour-long TV show. At the end, we learned that Cowser narrowly missed out on the award, coming in second place to Luis Gil. I was disappointed and slightly outraged, but I didn’t think about that strikeout. I remembered the Colton Cowser that we saw an exciting rookie season, a player I look forward to seeing for years to come.
The steady stream of top prospects being promoted to the Orioles has slowed to a drip but for some time, it was just one after another. Starting with Adley Rutschman, it seemed like every time I looked at social media another hype video had dropped. With those promotions came talk from fans and press alike: when will the Orioles start extending these young stars? And who is most likely to stick around?
The answers to both of those questions remain to be seen, as the Orioles haven’t yet made the plunge. Maybe that answer will be Cowser?
