Orioles Promote Top Prospect Colton Cowser From Triple-A, Will Make MLB Debut Wednesday
Don’t look now, but the Baltimore Orioles are calling up yet another young phenom from their star-studded farm system.
The Orioles selected the contract of outfielder Colton Cowser – the organization’s No. 2 top prospect per MLB Pipeline – from triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday. They also purchased right-hander Eduard Bazardo’s contract as well.
Catcher Anthony Bemboom and right-hander Chris Vallimont were designated for assignment to clear space on Baltimore’s 40-man roster. Ryan McKenna was also optioned to triple-A, paving the way for Cowser’s promotion.
Cowser is considered one of baseball’s brightest young stars, as the 23-year-old ranked No. 14 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list at the time of his call-up. But other outlets have been high on him as well, placing Nos. 38 and 41 at Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus, respectively, heading into this season.
The fifth overall selection from 2021 has joined the Orioles in the Bronx, where they’ll aim to salvage a four-game series versus the New York Yankees after dropping the first two, continuing their 1-6 slide.
It’s also where Cowser will make his MLB debut – almost exactly two years after being drafted – starting in left field and hitting seventh for Baltimore.
Many hoped Cowser’s big-league promotion would coincide with fellow outfielder Cedric Mullins’ IL stint caused by a right groin strain in late May. But he, too, found himself sidelined for a few weeks due to left quad tightness.
That brief absence certainly didn’t impact the young outfielder’s production, though, as he hit 10 home runs and 40 RBIs with a .330/.459/.537 slash line across 56 games at triple-A. He also posted a 153 wRC+, an 18.7 percent walk rate and a 23.3 percent strikeout rate.
Cowser spent time in all three outfield positions, compiling 266.1 innings in centre, 89.0 in right and 47.0 in left field. The versatile defender committed just a trio of errors before heading to The Show.
The right-hander is also the latest Orioles prospect to debut this season, joining Grayson Rodriguez, Joey Ortiz and Jordan Westburg. Of course, this recent wave comes just a year after Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson exploded onto the scene in 2022.
Another giant wave of prospects is coming soon, including Jackson Holliday, Coby Mayo, Heston Kjerstad, Samuel Basallo and Connor Norby.
At 49-35, good for second in the AL East and first in the wild-card race, the Orioles remain one of the most intriguing teams around the majors as the August 1st trade deadline approaches. They’re firmly in the playoff hunt and are rich with prospects that could act as valuable trade pieces.
Baltimore has a young core at the major-league level, particularly from a position player standpoint, and may look to surround that talent with a few high-upside players before next month’s deadline. One area, though, that likely requires addressing is their starting rotation.
If upgraded, the Orioles could transform into legitimate World Series contenders not just this season, but also for many years afterwards – cementing the AL East as the toughest division in baseball.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Bryan Green. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.