Baltimore Orioles’ Colton Cowser Is Due For More Going Forward

For the Baltimore Orioles, the 2026 season was riddled with varieties of inconsistencies, as the team had faced struggles in many facets over the year.

The season held its moments of encouraging signs and positives, though the Orioles were ultimately unable to put together a finish that would have put them in the postseason, as the team fell out of contention in the season’s final weeks.

Baltimore did see some growth from some areas over the year. One of those improvements came at the center field position, as Colton Cowser cemented himself at the role and took over there in 2026. However, there were still some room of improvement for the outfielder going forward. 

There were concerns heading into the season regarding Cowser and his offense heading into the season. He had shown flashes of upside at the plate with his power in the past, but his struggles in 2025 raised concerns of his offensive abilities heading into 2026.

In 327 at-bats taken in 2025, Cowser posted a batting average of .196, which was a significant dropoff from his .242 tally that he had recorded in 153 games in 2024. Cowser’s struggles sparked debate for where and how his bat should be utilized going forward, and although his numbers did improve, the Orioles may have wanted to see more from him.

In 2026, Cowser did not improve too much offensively. His high strikeout numbers remained, but his walk rate did go up at a considerable rate. He was able to raise his batting average to .226, but the slugging also didn’t take off as it did in 2024, as Cowser hit just 13 homers, a dropoff from the 16 homers he hit in 2025 in much fewer games.

Though the offensive numbers did not improve the way Cowser may have hoped, his defensive metrics took an accelerated leap. Cowser blossomed into the team’s starting center fielder in grand fashion, as he led the Orioles with a 10 OAA, much more than any other defender on the team. He also was the only Oriole to make a positive defensive contribution in fielding run value in 2026.

When Cowser came up through the Orioles’ system, his defensive ceiling seemed to be a corner outfielder with the ability to play center field if needed. Instead, he flipped that by taking a huge defensive leap and becoming a defensive specialist in center field.

As Baltimore looks ahead to 2027, they will once again look for Cowser to take that leap they’ve been waiting for at the plate, but the improvement defensively is one that is notable as the Orioles have a reliable starting center fielder going forward.