On Monday night, MLB announced the Rookie of the Year award winners. Many Orioles fans thought outfielder Colton Cowser was a lock to win the AL award, but unfortunately Cowser fell just shy. Yankees’ starter Luis Gil was announced the winner by a thin margin. Gil received 15 first place votes, while Cowser received 13. Yankees’ catcher Austin Wells finished a distant third.
Cowser’s 4.0 fWAR was best among all AL rookies, and third among all rookies behind just the Padres’ Jackson Merrill and the Cubs’ Shota Imanaga. The Orioles star finished the year with a .242/.321/.447 slash line with 24 homers and 9 steals. Cowser chipped in strong defense in both center field and in left.
Cowser played in 153 games this year, second among all rookies. With the breakout performance, he cemented himself as a vital part of the Orioles’ future. Many fans expected to see this type of performance from star prospect Jackson Holliday but with Cowser now firmly in the mix, the O’s are in an extremely desirable spot moving forward.
Orioles rookie robbed in AL award race
From an unbiased angle, Gil did have a strong year. He finished with a 15-7 record in 151.2 innings, pitching to a 3.50 ERA along the way. His 171 strikeouts were second among all rookie pitchers, and first among his AL counterparts…