Colton Cowser Believes Struggles of Baltimore Orioles’ Young Stars Will Pass

Colton Cowser says that the future of two of his young teammates, Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo, should be a thing of the past soon.

Sep 18, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles second base Jackson Holliday (7) swings through a third inning single against the San Francisco Giants at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

It’s never good to judge a rookie by their early performance. For every rookie that comes out of the gate on fire, 10 more look overmatched.

That's exactly how both Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo looked last season when they made their Major League debuts for the Baltimore Orioles.

It was also the same way that outfielder Colton Cowser looked when he made his Major League debut in 2023.

Cowser, of course, bounced back to have an incredible 2024 as a full-time player for the first time and finished second in American League rookie of the year voting.

Based on his experience, he told MLB.com that Holliday and Mayo should put together better seasons in 2025.

“No doubt in my mind that they're going to be really productive,” Cowser said. “I guess you can call it a struggle on paper, but I said this about myself — it never hurts to debut in the big leagues and struggle a little bit. I think it's going to make you a better player in the future. They know that. And I'm looking forward to how they play this year.”

Cowser’s debut and his follow-up are an object lesson in not judging players by early performance. He played in 26 games for the O’s in 2023 and batted just .115 and was sent back to the minor leagues, where he was dominating pitchers.

It was humbling, but Cowser won a job coming out of spring training and proved he was worth the first-round pick Baltimore spent to get him in 2021. He slashed .242/.321/.447/.768 with 24 home runs and 69 RBI.

Contrast that to Gunnar Henderson, who enjoyed a more satisfying debut in 2022. In 31 games he slashed .259/.348/.440/.788 with four home runs and 18 RBI. He followed that with a rookie of the year campaign that saw him slash .255/.325/.489/.814 with 24 home runs and 82 RBI.

That’s why most MLB personnel evaluators don’t overreact to how Holliday and Mayo played last season, especially since both posted impressive careers in the minor leagues.

Holliday slashed .189/.255/.311 in 60 games. But, like Cowser, he was demoted back to Triple-A after a short debut and returned to bat better, at one point hitting five home runs in 10 games. He finished with five home runs and 23 RBI.

Mayo played in just 17 games and slashed an awful .098/.196/.098/.293 and didn’t hit a home run or drive in a run. But his numbers in the minors last season — a slash line of .293/.372/.592/.964 with 25 home runs and 73 RBI — lead many evaluates to continue to say that Mayo is the best hitting prospect in the organization now.