Colton Cowser came into the season as a top 50 prospect and ended it in the top 15. Cowser started 2023 looking to build on a late call-up to Norfolk in 2022. He ended the year as the MVP of the Triple-A championship game and undoubtedly one of the best players at the minors’ highest level. Yet, 2023 will perhaps be better remembered for Cowser’s underwhelming time in the majors than his exploits for Norfolk.
Ever since being selected No. 5 overall in the 2021 draft, Cowser has made a habit of outperforming expectations. Much like the Heston Kjerstad pick in 2020, the selection of Cowser was seen as a sort of value pick that would save the Orioles bonus pool money for later in the draft.