Orioles’ No. 2 prospect (MLB No. 14) helps Norfolk declare crown at Minors’ highest degree
7:26 AM UTC
LAS VEGAS — Colton Cowser stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and his group down by a run within the prime of the seventh.
This state of affairs was nothing new for MLB’s No. 14 general prospect, who has been optioned from the Majors twice prior to now two months, and the Norfolk Tides, who had been a loss away from elimination within the International League Finals earlier within the week.
And the end result was simply as acquainted.
Cowser drilled a 455-foot grand slam to offer the Orioles’ affiliate the lead for good, securing himself MVP honors as Norfolk edged Oklahoma City, 7-6, within the Triple-A National Championship on Saturday at Las Vegas Ballpark.
“It’s something we’ve worked for the whole year,” Cowser mentioned. “Of course it ended up being close, but hey, that’s how we’ve been playing it all year. So proud of our guys, proud of our staff, proud of organization. It’s a really, really great feat that we just accomplished.”
The Orioles’ No. 2 prospect received the Tides’ first hit of the night time with a single within the first, shortly adopted by a stolen base. Cowser entered the sport 1-for-13 within the postseason, however that sole knock was a double within the IL Finals clincher in opposition to Durham.
“For a guy that’s been struggling for a little bit to get down 0-2 against the lefty — a tough lefty [Alec Gamboa] — and to come through, I’m so happy for him,” Norfolk supervisor Buck Britton mentioned of Cowser. “So happy with him. He simply continues to grind, and he deserved a second like that. “
Cowser offered stable safety behind Connor Norby within the Tides’ lineup. The Orioles’ No. 7 prospect capped a three-hit night time with what proved to be a significant two-run homer within the ninth with the Dodgers mounting a four-run ultimate body.
“Norby’s been a dog all year for us,” Britton mentioned. “The year that he’s had has been unbelievable. [He] sometimes flies under the radar a little bit with all the prospects we have here, but [his homer] ended up being the game-winner. We needed seven, and Norby seems to always be the right man in that spot to deliver for us, and it’s incredible.”
Norfolk, which boasted 4 of MLB’s Top 50 general prospects in its beginning lineup Saturday — together with No. 1 general Jackson Holliday — claimed International League championship honors for the primary time in 38 years on Thursday. The membership received a franchise-record 90 video games throughout the common season and featured many key contributors to Baltimore’s 2023 AL East division-winning squad.
“I knew going in we were gonna have a lot of talent, but there was a lot of pressure to make sure that we got these guys to perform at a high level,” Britton mentioned. “They purchased in, they made it simple for me. I like these guys.
“It’s a real special feeling to be a part of their journey on the way up, and I can’t wait to see what these guys do in the future.”
Reliever T.J. McFarland, whom the Orioles signed on July 22, received the win after working round successful and a stroll with two strikeouts in 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Dodgers received pitching assist from rehabbing Los Angeles hurlers Yency Almonte and Ken Giles. Offensively, they had been led by MLB’s No. 44 general prospect Michael Busch, who homered and doubled. Following Busch’s ninth-inning blast, third baseman Miguel Vargas crushed a solo shot to make it a one-run sport earlier than Joey Krehbiel secured the ultimate out for the Tides.
“Resiliency. And that is what we did,” Norby mentioned. “We’ve completed all of it yr. We’ve had our ups and we have had our downs. We did not make it simple on ourselves in opposition to Durham. And we did not make it simple on ourselves tonight, however I would not have it every other manner.
“The manner we dealt with ourselves all yr and the best way we battled via adversity all yr and this group is simply unreal. Unbelievable.”
The newest ring marks the primary Triple-A title for the franchise because the Tidewater Tides received the Triple-A World Series in 1983 as a Mets affiliate. The final Orioles Triple-A membership to win the ultimate Minor League title of the yr was the Rochester Red Wings, who snagged the Junior World Series in 1971.
This championship is the most recent accolade for an Orioles farm system that has been ranked No. 1 because the 2021 midseason rank. Gunnar Henderson is a robust candidate for AL Rookie of the Year, whereas Baltimore has its personal thrilling pennant chase.
“They draft a great group of guys and guys that come to work and want to work and just generally good guys that want to be around each other all the time,” Norby mentioned. “We do more things off the field [together] than we do on the field. It’s such a close, close group all the way down to the bottom. That’s who this org is and that’s what they try to develop a lot off the field.”
