More on Cowser and Mountcastle as Gold Glove finalists

Colton Cowser has a chance to be special in two more ways in 2024.

Cowser is trying to become the first Orioles outfielder chosen as the American League’s Rookie of the Year since Al Bumbry in 1973. Bumbry is remembered as a center fielder but he made 58 starts in left and 24 in right. He didn’t have more than one start in center until 1976 – making 53 in center and left.

Infielder Gunnar Henderson was named Rookie of the Year in 2023, reliever Gregg Olson in 1989, infielder Cal Ripken Jr. in 1982 and designated hitter/ first baseman Eddie Murray in 1977.

The Orioles never had a left fielder win a Gold Glove, but Cowser is a finalist. Rawlings began distinguishing outfield positions in 2011, but eight-time winner Paul Blair was a center fielder.

(Props if you remember the one game that Blair played at third base in 1968. He didn’t start but he totaled eight innings and committed an error.)

Cowser was worth keeping in the lineup even during his slumps because he offered plus-defense, at a level that made the Orioles comfortable trading Austin Hays to the Phillies. He accumulated 91 starts and 109 appearances total in left, 36 starts and 45 appearances in center, and six starts and 20 appearances in right.

The changes in Cowser from 2023 were striking. Manager Brandon Hyde thought the first-round draft pick played “a little cautious” during his first time in the majors.

“And then, once he got experience and got comfortable up here, you saw the defense really, really improved,” Hyde said at his season-ending press conference. “The throwing improved, just his routes and the way he communicated when Ced (Mullins) was next to him or when he played center, communicating with the corner outfielders. It was spectacular.”  

The Orioles say Cowser is expected to be ready for the beginning of spring training after undergoing surgery yesterday to repair his fractured left hand. Dr. Donald Sheridan performed the procedure in Phoenix, Ariz.

Kansas City’s Angel Zerpa hit Cowser during Game 2 of the Wild Card series. Cowser swung at the pitch and struck out, and Heston Kjerstad replaced him in left field two innings later.

Pretty much sums up the Orioles' playoff performance.

Mullins made his usual number of spectacular diving and leaping catches, but the defensive metrics still didn’t favor him. FanGraphs assigns him a minus-5 in defensive runs saved and a minus-2 ultimate zone rating. Anthony Santander, who appeared to play his best right field – including in 2020 when he was a Gold Glove finalist – has a minus-seven DRS.

They didn’t make the cut.

Ryan Mountcastle is a back-to-back finalist and I never would have predicted it while watching him play shortstop at spring training. The past regime had split opinions on whether he should stay at the position, the harshest critics arguing that valuable time was wasted in moving him. It took too long. One more reason for the in-fighting.

Third base wasn’t the right fit, but left field offered some promise. I heard good things about his development from people with Triple-A Norfolk. But the shift to first in 2021 and full-time duty in 2022 was the start of something good.

Mountcastle’s eight defensive runs saved led the Orioles, but he faces stiff Gold Glove competition from Rangers 2023 winner Nathaniel Lowe and the Twins’ Carlos Santana.

Santana also has eight DRS, but his 14 outs above average bury Lowe (seven) and Mountcastle (two). Santana seems like the favorite this year, but Mountcastle should be honored that he’s in the running again.

A reminder here that the 30 managers and six coaches from each team comprise 75 percent of the voting, with the other 25 from SABR’s defensive index.

Mountcastle is back in 2025 if the Orioles tender him a contract. MLBTradeRumors.com projects his salary at $6.6 million after the sides avoided a hearing last year by agreeing to a $4.137 million deal.

The roster took many hits, and losing Mountcastle for a month with a sprained wrist was a big blow. But it was more than just his bat. The range and hands at first base also were missed.

Mountcastle was 8-for-21 in September after the Orioles reinstated him from the injured list. He was 0-for-7 with four strikeouts in the Wild Card series, but most of the hitters went cold.

The last two seasons have presented health challenges for Mountcastle, who was limited to 115 games in 2023 due to vertigo and inflammation in his left shoulder. He hit only one home run this season after the All-Star break. His return isn't a lock, but the defense provides a solid argument as the Orioles tinker with their roster.