Due to injuries and a difficult beginning to the season, Stowers hasn’t been able to establish a strong first impression for the Orioles.

As 2023 Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson and top prospect Jackson Holliday attempt to start the season together on the dirt, the Orioles’ infield will be the talk of the town this spring. Though the Orioles have amassed an amazing roster of outfielders to complement their big three, there is still a lot of excitement in the outfield as well.

Although Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins, and Anthony Santander are still essential to Baltimore’s rebuild, Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad are now the game’s newest stars. Sam Hilliard and Ryan McKenna will compete with the two blue-chip prospects for a spot on the Opening Day roster, but the Orioles seem to have at least one more outfielder who could be a star in 2024.

In 2023, Kyle Stowers practically missed a year. After breaking camp with the organization, he immediately struggled, sustained two injuries in the minor leagues, and never returned to Baltimore. At Triple-A, he took a fastball to the face, managed just two hits in thirty at-bats, and missed over two months due to inflammation in his shoulder. That counts as a year to forget by anyone’s standards.

Cowser and Kjerstad made their major league debuts while Stowers struggled. Like Stowers, Cowser struggled in his first experience playing major league baseball. Before going back to Norfolk, Cowser only managed to finish 7 for 61, while Kjerstad performed well enough to earn a spot on the ALDS roster. At Triple-A, Cowser slashed.300/.417/.520, and he took enough of steps to set himself up for another chance at the majors in 2024.

Does the window actually collapse that quickly, though, or did the buildings in Birdland fall out of the spotlight? The quick response is no, not if the man is a good player. In 2021, Stowers performed admirably at three levels and shared the Minor League Player of the Year award with Adley Rutschman. In his first 34 MLB games of 2022, he had a.253/.306/.418 line, which was better than Cowser or Kjerstad.

In 2019, Cedric Mullins only had one appearance in the majors, going 6-for-64. He retaliated the next season, posting a slash line of.271/.315/.407 in 2020 and a 30/30 season in 2021. The talent development resources and personnel in this business are in place, and 26-year-old Stowers has the basic abilities of a major league baseball player.