Baltimore Orioles Outfielder Dominates Rookie of the Year Conversation

One of the top prospects for the Baltimore Orioles has dominated the Rookie of the Year conversation so far.

Aug 29, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Baltimore Orioles left fielder Colton Cowser (17) is greeted after hitting a three run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium. / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles are in a tightly contested race for the AL East title with the New York Yankees, making every game important.

Despite being 20 games over .500, the Orioles didn’t play great in July and August.

During these summer months, Baltimore failed to post a winning record in either month, as they haven't been playing their best ball of late.

However, despite the struggles, the Orioles are still very much in the AL East race with the Yankees.

One of the reasons why Baltimore has had such a good season is because of their deep lineup of talented young hitters.

This year, outfielder Colton Cowser has had an excellent season for the Orioles and is going to be one of the bright spots for years to come. Cowser has been in the AL Rookie of the Year conversation for much of the season and could very well win the award.

Tristan Cockcroft of ESPN gave his take on the Rookie of the Year battle, making a case for Mason Miller of the Oakland Athletics.

“In a wide-open award race, Miller's elite skill set, and historic whiff rates could catch voters' eyes. It's not like relievers haven't won before when there wasn't a clear, top-shelf choice (see: Devin Williams, 2020). Among rookies with 50-plus innings, his 43.4% K rate is second-best all time, .145 batting average allowed fifth-best and 1.71 FIP is ninth-best. He'll also probably become the third rookie ever with 25-plus saves and 100-plus K's.”

In his rookie season, Cowser has totaled a .246/.324/.448 slash line, 20 home runs, 60 RBI, and 21 doubles. While it has been a superb effort for him overall, there have been ups and downs he's undergone throughout this campaign.

After a strong start to the year, Cowser really struggled in May and June before bouncing back in July with a .329 batting average. Even though he has been one of the better players on a winning team, Miller of the Athletics has also been very good.

This season, Miller has totaled 23 saves, 87 strikeouts and a 2.52 ERA in 53.2 innings pitched. His stats have been excellent on a bad Oakland team as he emerged as one of the best relievers in baseball by earning his first All-Star Game selection.

Coming down the stretch, the battle between Cowser and Miller for the Rookie of the Year will be a race to watch.

However, Cowser should still be the clear front-runner.