The value brought to the field from Colton Cowser and Ryan Mountcastle has been recognized. The pair of Orioles were named Rawlings Gold Glove finalists in left field and at first base, respectively, on Tuesday following strong showings at their positions this year.
Cowser, as a rookie, excelled in a difficult environment at Camden Yards. He has the ability to play center field, and as such, that range was imperative when dealing with the large space in left field because of the deep wall. And Mountcastle, who was drafted as a shortstop, showed once again how successful his move to first base has turned out to be.
Of players who featured in left field for at least 800 innings this season, Cowser has the top defensive runs above average metric (5.0), according to FanGraphs, which accounts for positional adjustments when calculating how many runs a player saves by his defensive work. The other American League finalists in left field, the Cleveland Guardians’ Steven Kwan and the New York Yankees’ Alex Verdugo, trail with 3.6 and 0.0 defensive runs above average, respectively. Cowser also led the group with eight outs above average.

Mountcastle, who’s an American League finalist with the Minnesota Twins’ Carlos Santana and Texas Rangers’ Nathaniel Lowe, has taken strides in his adjustment to first base over the years. His bat was always the center piece of scouting reports when he was young, but Mountcastle has turned himself into a top-tier defender.
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“I always thought I got a little bit of flak for my defense, and I don’t want to say I’ve worked harder than anybody else, but it feels like I’ve done so much work over there at first base to become — at least in my mind — competent over there,” Mountcastle said in June. “I’ve always had that confidence in myself to hit the ball, and to finally feel confident on the field and feel like I help the team out in the field is really cool, just for all the work I’ve put in.”
Mountcastle finished tied for third in the majors with eight defensive runs saved, per FanGraphs, and his two outs above average left him tied for sixth.
Baltimore’s most recent Gold Glove winner was Ramón Urías at third base in 2022. Urías was the Orioles’ first Gold Glove winner since Manny Machado in 2015. Now, Cowser and Mountcastle hope to become more than finalists on Nov. 3, when winners are announced.
Cowser has hand surgery
Cowser fractured his left hand in the final postseason game when he was hit by a pitch while swinging, and he underwent successful surgery Tuesday. The operation was completed by Dr. Donald Sheridan in Phoenix, Arizona, and the Orioles said Cowser is expected to be ready for spring training.
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