The Orioles’ hitting growth program is constructed across the idea of difficult gamers, with the pitching they see in observe dwelling as much as or surpassing the issue of what they see in video games. And early on in his first full season, Colton Cowser actually felt challenged by each.
Despite having premier bat-to-ball expertise that made him the fifth total draft choose in 2021, Cowser as an alternative struck out greater than 30% of the time over the season’s first two months with High-A Aberdeen. Instead of being aggressive on offspeed pitches within the zone early within the rely, he would fall behind, overexpanding with two strikes. He was studying to regulate to professional ball, nonetheless looking for a sleep schedule higher fitted to that way of life than that of a faculty scholar.
“Beginning of the year, I really felt like my approach was kind of gone,” Cowser stated. “And then as time went on, I slowly got back to it, just trying to see ball, hit ball.”
It paid off. In his closing month at Aberdeen, he posted a strikeout charge 10% decrease and an OPS 90 factors increased. He earned a promotion to Double-A Bowie, the place he erupted with a .341 common, 1.037 OPS and 10 house runs in 49 video games. The final of these got here Sunday, together with his closing swing with the Baysox a walk-off house run earlier than being promoted Monday to Triple-A Norfolk, the place the 22-year-old will finish his first full season.
“I was probably just trying to do too much,” Cowser stated not too long ago in Bowie. “First full pro season, trying to go in there and make a splash pretty immediately. And I realized what I do, just doing my own game, is already enough and a little bit more.”
That utilized in his preparation, as properly. Cowser, an outfielder ranked because the group’s No. 5 prospect by Baseball America, participated within the combined batting observe classes which can be widespread within the Orioles’ farm system, the place coaches throw a full repertoire of pitches, however he discovered that he was higher served seeing alternating rounds of fastballs and sliders, honing in on the shapes of every.
Cowser additionally needed to make sure that he continued among the drills from his beginner profession. In three seasons at Sam Houston, he hit .354/.460/.608 and walked greater than he struck out. He’s made positive to include components of his routine then into now, together with one-hand work and hitting tossed batting observe, earlier than transferring into the extra intense preparation the Orioles prescribe.
“I’m not saying that I’m anti-whatever we’re doing, but I think it’s good to find a balance because sometimes, it feels like ‘OK, well if I did this in the past and had success, why throw it kind of out the window?’” Cowser stated. “I think it’s good to have communication. I think over time, since probably after the first month, I started having that open communication, and I think that it’s helped especially because we have a great hitting staff and great development program, and you just want to be open with them and not not be coachable. But they’re bringing things to the table that I haven’t seen before, and so it’s good to mix both of them in.”
That need for stability applies to many features of Cowser’s recreation. He’s handled some bodily “wear and tear,” he stated, and misplaced about 10 kilos over the course of the season, all the way down to about 205. After an preliminary couple of weeks of relaxation this offseason, he hopes to realize a weight that enables him so as to add each velocity and power.
In Aberdeen, he equipped principally the previous, with 16 steals towards 4 homers. He went deep 10 instances for Bowie whereas stealing solely two bases. Still, the mix implies that he’s in attain of a 20-20 season ought to he have a robust closing month with Norfolk.
Being there, after all, places him on the precipice of the majors, aligning with government vp and common supervisor Mike Elias saying after the draft Cowser had the potential to be a quick riser in a deep system. After a sluggish begin to this season, he’s carried out that, positioning himself for a debut in Baltimore someday subsequent yr. With his ascension, 5 of the Orioles’ prime six prospects have reached Triple-A, to not point out a gaggle of well-regarded gamers in Adley Rutschman, Kyle Stowers, Kyle Bradish and Terrin Vavra who’re already within the majors.
“It’s really exciting,” Cowser stated. “You see they’re having an immediate impact, and I think that it’s just kind of a testament of what the org[anization] has been doing. It’s just a testament of what they’re preaching, and it’s working at the highest level.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com