Inside The Orioles

Baltimore Orioles Piling Up Awards At Historic Rate

The Baltimore Orioles are racking up awards at a dizzying rate.

Tyler Maher

Apr 22, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher James McCann (27) celebrates with outfielder Colton Cowser (17).
Apr 22, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher James McCann (27) celebrates with outfielder Colton Cowser (17). / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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The Baltimore Orioles have been winning more than just ballgames during their fast start to their season. They've also been winning awards left and right.

Their most recent hardware is a pair of monthly awards. Gunnar Henderson was named AL Player of the Month for April, while Colton Cowser took home AL Rookie of the Month honors for April.

Both awards are well deserved. Henderson finished April with an MLB-high 10 home runs, becoming the youngest player in MLB history at 22 years old to reach 10 homers before May 1. He also ended the month with a .291/.356/.624 batting line, 24 RBIs, 25 runs and six stolen bases in six attempts, generating plenty of early MVP buzz.

Meanwhile, Cowser hit the ground running after his disappointing cup of coffee last year, as his offseason adjustments immediately paid off. The 24-year-old rookie mashed his way through April, finishing the month with an outstanding .303/.372/.632 slash line. He also notched six homers, seven doubles and 18 RBIs, earning MVP hype as well.

This is the first time in franchise history that Baltimore players won AL Rookie of the Month and AL Player of the Month in the same month. The Orioles are the first AL team to pull off the double-whammy since the 2022 Cleveland Guardians, who had Jose Ramirez win AL Player of the Month and Steven Kwan win AL Rookie of the Month in April.

This is already the second award of the season for Cowser, who already won AL Player of the Week for April 8-14. Not to be outdone, fellow rookie Jordan Westburg won AL Player of the Week the following week.

May has only just started, and that's already four major awards for Baltimore. The important hardware comes at the end of the season, of course, but the Orioles are already building an impressive collection.

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Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

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