A bruising year and a louder depth chart have turned 2026 into a proving ground for one of Baltimore’s most promising young outfielders.
The Orioles are headed into a winter of hard choices after an underwhelming 2025, and few decisions feel trickier than what to do about outfielder Colton Cowser. A year ago, he looked like a long-term pillar after finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting and posting a .768 OPS in 2024. This season, though, the bat backed up, the swing decisions wobbled, and the depth chart around him got louder.