Colton Cowser

Colton Dale Cowser burst into the world on March 20, 2000, and soon after got bestowed with the nickname “The Milkman.” Born in America, his prowess eventually led him to become a celebrated professional baseball outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles, part of the iconic Major League Baseball (MLB). A student of the game, Cowser honed his formidable skills at Sam Houston State University, where he played collegiate baseball for the Sam Houston Bearkats.

Cowser grew up in Cypress, Texas, where he attended Cypress Ranch High School. During his senior year in 2018, his extraordinary performance on the field earned him all-state honors, after batting an impressive .411 with 38 RBIs and a respectable thirty stolen bases. Despite his stellar high-school career, Cowser was overlooked in the 2018 Major League Baseball draft. Undeterred, Cowser took his talents to Sam Houston State University, eager to play college baseball for the Bearkats.

In 2019, amid his opening season with the Bearkats, Cowser was instantly recruited into the starting lineup. Throughout 56 games, he sported a batting average of .361 with seven home runs, 54 runs batted in, and nine stolen bases. His exceptional performance won him the Southland Conference Hitter of the Year Award. Beyond this, he was also recognized as a Freshman All-American by various media entities, including Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, Perfect Game, and D1Baseball.com.

After a successful college season, Cowser earned a position on the Team USA Collegiate National Team. He was crowned the Most Valuable Player of the 2019 USA vs Cuba Friendship Series, primarily because of his remarkable batting average of .438, accompanied by six runs. Entering the 2020 season, Cowser was placed on the Golden Spikes Award watch list, while simultaneously earning pre-season Southland Conference honors.

Before the season was abruptly halted due to COVID-19, Cowser had managed to play 14 games where he hit .255 with one home run. During his 2021 junior season, he managed to elegantly slash .374/.490/.680 with 16 home runs and 52 RBIs over 55 games. For his efforts, Cowser received the Southland Conference Player of the Year award and earned a spot on the All-Defensive Team.

The Baltimore Orioles recognized Cowser’s potential and selected him in the first round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft with the fifth overall pick. Cowser soon signed a lucrative $4.9 million signing bonus with the Orioles. In his professional debut on August 2, 2021, Cowser, representing the Rookie-level Florida Complex League Orioles, scored a solo homerun during his second at-bat.

Despite batting an impressive .500 over 22 at-bats, Cowser was promoted to the Delmarva Shorebirds of the Low-A East. During 25 games with Delmarva, Cowser maintained a batting average of .347 with a homeroom and 26 RBIs.

After successful ascension in 2021, Cowser entered the 2022 season with the Aberdeen IronBirds of the High-A South Atlantic League. Promotions soon followed, first to the Bowie Baysox of the Double-A Eastern League and later to the Norfolk Tides of the Triple-A International League. During 138 games between the three teams, he slashed .278/.406/.469 with 19 home runs, 66 RBIs, 18 stolen bases, and 36 doubles.

In 2023, Cowser started the season back with the Tides and delivered a season of .330/.459/.537 with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs over 56 games. A turning point in his career arrived on July 5, 2023, when the Orioles promoted him to the major leagues and included him in the 40-man roster. During his MLB debut, Cowser recorded his first major league hit, an RBI single, contributing to a 6-3 victory over the New York Yankees.

Towards the end of the campaign, Cowser was returned to the Tides for a brief stint before receiving the Most Valuable Player Award at the Triple-A National Championship Game. Cowser had an impressive 2023, hitting .115/.286/.148 with no home runs and four RBIs in 61 at-bats over 26 games.

Cowser’s journey to baseball fame continued into 2024 when he was added to the Orioles’ Opening Day roster on March 24. Notably, he drove in four runs as part of his first multi-RBI game of his MLB career in a 7-1 victory against the Boston Red Sox. Later in April, Cowser recorded another four-RBI performance hitting the first two home runs of his MLB career in a ten-inning 9-4 victory against the same opponent. This capstone event completed a three-game sweep of Red Sox at Fenway Park, ensuring Cowser’s prominent place in the MLB annals.