Colton Cowser’s Clean Slate: Why the Orioles Are Betting Big on a Bounce-Back in Center Field
The 2025 season was a rough ride for the Baltimore Orioles - a year where just about everything that could go wrong, did. Injuries, underperformance, and missed opportunities defined the campaign.
And right in the middle of it all was Colton Cowser, a player who came into the year with breakout buzz and left it trying to piece things back together. Now, fully healthy and with a clear path to the starting center field job, Cowser is being handed the keys to a position that’s quietly become one of the Orioles’ biggest question marks.
Let’s rewind for a moment. Cowser’s rookie year in 2024 was the kind of debut that turns heads.
Over 153 games, he slashed .242/.321/.768, launched 24 home runs, drew 52 walks, and played standout defense - all while striking out 172 times. Sure, the swing-and-miss was there, but so was the patience and power.
He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting for a reason. He looked like a cornerstone.
So when Gunnar Henderson went down heading into 2025, the Orioles turned to Cowser to lead off. It wasn’t an obvious fit, but it wasn’t a stretch either.
He had a good eye, enough speed, and enough pop to keep pitchers honest. But just a few games into the season, things started to unravel.
While trying to leg out an infield hit in Toronto, Cowser dove head-first into first base and fractured his thumb. That injury sidelined him until early June - and it came just six months after he’d fractured the same hand in the AL Wild Card series.
When Cowser finally got back on the field, he barely had time to settle in before another setback hit. On June 12, chasing a deep fly ball against the Tigers, he slammed into the outfield fence and fractured two ribs.
He sat for a few days, then returned - but the injury lingered. The rib issue wasn’t publicly disclosed until late September, but it clearly impacted his swing and overall performance.
Then came the concussion symptoms in August, stemming from a play in Philadelphia. He missed 11 days, and while the symptoms were labeled “mild,” the Orioles handled it with caution. By the end of the year, Cowser’s season had become a patchwork of injuries and stalled momentum.
The numbers reflect that. Outside of a strong June - where he hit .250/.310/.550 with six homers and 14 RBI over 22 games - Cowser never found his rhythm.
His OPS in every other month was .594 or worse. He didn’t hit above .210 in any of them.
The lone flash of his 2024 form came in a 10-game stretch from June 16 to June 27, when he looked locked in, slashing .314/.385/.714. For a moment, he looked like the guy Orioles fans had been waiting for.
But that momentum vanished just as quickly. From June 28 through the end of the season, he hit .180/.257/.336 and struck out 100 times in 69 games.
Even in that brutal stretch, there were silver linings. He went a perfect 13-for-13 in stolen base attempts and continued to draw walks at a solid clip. But for a team that was spiraling, Cowser’s struggles only added to the uncertainty.
As the offseason began, questions swirled about Cowser’s future in Baltimore. The Orioles had just signed Tyler O’Neill to a big contract.
Dylan Beavers was knocking on the door from Triple-A. Then came the trade for Taylor Ward - another corner outfielder.
Suddenly, there seemed to be more bodies than spots.
And with the Orioles still hunting for a frontline starting pitcher, Cowser’s name naturally surfaced in trade rumors. He’s young, talented, and under team control - exactly the kind of player that could headline a deal.
But as the offseason played out, those scenarios faded. The Orioles weren’t in on any of the big center field names.
Luis Robert landed with the Mets. Harrison Bader signed with the Giants.
The only addition was Leody Taveras, a talented but inconsistent player who profiles more as a fourth outfielder than an everyday starter.
Internally, the options are limited. Beavers can handle center in a pinch, but not over 162 games.
Reed Trimble was protected from the Rule 5 Draft and could be a bench piece. Enrique Bradfield Jr. might get a look later in the year, and while his glove and speed are big-league ready, his bat still needs seasoning.
His brief stint in Triple-A last year didn’t exactly force the issue.
So here we are. Cowser is the guy in center - and for the Orioles, that’s both a risk and an opportunity.
The good news? He’s no stranger to the position.
He played 47 games in center in 2025, 45 in 2024, and 10 in 2023. Add in his minor league experience, and it’s a role he knows well.
While he’s been more consistent defensively in left, the advanced metrics like what he brings in center. He’s posted 1 Outs Above Average (OAA) in each of the last two seasons, despite not playing the position full-time.
And his arm? One of the most respected in the league.
Defensively, he checks the boxes.
The bat is the bigger question. Orioles center fielders combined for an 87 wRC+ in 2025 - below league average.
Cowser’s own wRC+ was 83 overall, and it dipped to 78 when he played center. That’s not going to cut it long-term.
But Baltimore doesn’t need him to be the 119 wRC+ version of himself from 2024. Not with Henderson, Ward, Pete Alonso, and Jordan Westburg anchoring the lineup.
What they do need is a league-average bat with solid defense in center. Cowser has shown he can be that - when healthy.
And that’s the key word: healthy. Injuries derailed his 2025, plain and simple.
Now, with a clean bill of health and some of the spotlight shifted elsewhere, Cowser has a chance to reset. The Orioles are banking on that - and they don’t have much of a backup plan if it doesn’t work out.
It’s a gamble, but not a reckless one. Cowser has the tools.
He’s done it before. And if he can stay on the field, he just might do it again.