Stowers working to reverse under-the-radar status on O's

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The Spring Training hype surrounding Kyle Stowers is building. The 26-year-old outfielder is among the early standouts at Orioles camp, emerging as a player who could be a dark horse to make the Opening Day roster.

But the buzz started back during the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn., and it came straight from general manager Mike Elias.

The message: Don’t overlook Stowers.

“Huge power tool. He’s big and athletic, he plays the corners well, he can throw,” Elias said in December. “There’s a lot there, and it’s kind of an under-the-radar person that could be a factor for us this season. And I think the fact that we have a talent like that and he doesn’t get a lot of attention speaks to the depth that we have in the system.”

Since reporting to camp, Stowers has confirmed everything Elias said to be true.

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In the early days before Grapefruit League games began, Stowers was putting together good at-bats in live batting practice. He especially thrived in his matchups against left-handers, such as relievers Cionel Pérez and Nick Vespi.

In his first two Grapefruit games, Stowers went 1-for-5. But the lone hit was a left-on-left solo homer off Braves southpaw Dylan Lee on Monday in North Port. In his third game of the spring, Stowers went 0-for-2 after entering as a pinch-hitter in the DH spot in Baltimore's 5-2 win against Detroit at Ed Smith Stadium.

Stowers’ offseason focus on swing mechanics -- particularly on “being a little more efficient to the ball” -- has led to a strong showing so far this spring.

“I’m starting to see some improvement,” Stowers said. “I’m doing a lot of good stuff in the cage, and I feel like there’s still more in the tank to translate on the field.”

Even though Elias referred to Stowers as “under the radar,” he’s not a player with a surprise story. The Stanford product from El Cajon, Calif., was selected by the Orioles with the No. 71 overall pick in Competitive Balance Round B of the 2019 MLB Draft, and he was the club’s No. 8 prospect (per MLB Pipeline) at the end of the ‘22 season.

Stowers also made his first Opening Day roster when he broke camp with Baltimore last spring. That's when he began to fall slightly below the radar.

During two stints with the Orioles last April and May, Stowers went a combined 2-for-30. He spent the rest of the 2023 season in the Minors (mostly at Triple-A Norfolk) while also missing time due to a right shoulder injury and a fractured nose.

When healthy, Stowers put up solid numbers, posting a .245/.364/.511 slash line with nine doubles, 17 home runs and 49 RBIs in 68 games for Norfolk.

That type of production is also what teammates expected from Stowers entering the spring.

“I know what he’s capable of, and he’s a guy who can hit lefties,” said infielder Jordan Westburg, who played with Stowers in the Minors from 2021-23. “He’s constantly working on his swing, constantly working to better himself offensively. It doesn’t surprise me one bit.”

Stowers hasn’t gotten many opportunities to show his left-on-left ability at the big league level. In 48 games over two MLB seasons, he has gotten 124 plate appearances against right-handers and only seven vs. lefties.

However, Stowers has shown he can handle left-handed pitching in the Minors:

2021: .292/.384/.567 with nine homers in 138 PAs
2022: .330/.441/.577 with four homers in 118 PAs
2023: .235/.351/.432 with four homers in 97 PAs

“Righties or lefties, just got to put together good at-bats. I think I had two good ones [Monday],” Stowers said. “I said, ‘Righty or lefty, you guys know how I feel. I feel confident against them.’ Just got to stack good at-bats throughout the whole spring.”

Added manager Brandon Hyde: “He’s taking some really good swings so far this camp. Nice to see him come in here, looks ready to go.”

Despite how well Stowers has fared, there’s stiff competition for roster spots among outfielders.

Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins and Anthony Santander will be the starters. That leaves either one or two openings from a group that features Stowers, Colton Cowser (MLB Pipeline’s No. 19 overall prospect), Heston Kjerstad (No. 32 overall), Ryan McKenna and Sam Hilliard.

But Stowers is getting an opportunity to show he should again break camp with the Orioles. And so far, he’s doing his best to make a challenging decision even more difficult.

“He’s got to compete. We’ve got a pretty talented group,” Hyde said. “We’re looking for bench bats or guys that can platoon or guys that can step in and start. So, he’s in the mix as one of those guys who’s competing for a Major League job.”