We have, for good reason, discussed how good the Orioles farm system is for months. Still, many fans and analysts have tried to convince people that the Orioles farm is overrated outside of their top 5 prospects, so I feel these articles are essential to remind people how good this farm is right now.
The future of the Orioles outfield is looking rather crowded, and it can be tricky for prospects to separate themselves from the pack. The Orioles have so many outfield prospects that it can be challenging to keep up with who is doing well and who isn’t.
One prospect that has had a great season that hasn’t gotten enough praise is Kyle Stowers.
Stowers was an intriguing prospect in the 2019 Draft. He had decent baseline stats, but he was an analytical darling; he had great exit velocities, along with a swing that created many fly balls. He also had a great launch angle, so it isn’t surprising that the Orioles took a chance on him in the competitive balance B round in 2019.
Stowers is listed at 6-3, 200 pounds, and has shown off the power this yearthree hitting, .277/.382 /.532 with 27 home runs and 21 doubles through 3 levels of the minors this season. Stowers has mainly played right field this year but has also occasionally moved to left.
Stowers’ main calling card is his power,. It truly is something to marvel at as he has the most home runs by any Orioles minor leaguer this year with his 27 home runs. He also has one of the highest slugging percentages in the Orioles system at .532. Stowers takes a vicious swing at the plate and is looking to always go all out on every swing he takes. He looks like he has a personal vendetta against baseballs, and it is gorgeous to see.
Stowers also has 21 doubles this year to go with those home runs. He currently has 113 hits this year, so we can’t gloss over his hit tool. Stowers’ most underrated ability is his skill to draw walks. He currently has 66 walks and is walking around 14 percent of the time. With all these hits and walks, it is no surprise that Stowers has a high OBP. at .382. Stowers has a very unique profile of hitting for power and extra-base hits while also getting on base very well.
Stowers has very sound defense in right field. He doesn’t make many mistakes and tracks the ball off the ball very well. He also has solid arm strength for right field to keep base runners honest.
Stowers has one huge flaw: the most significant talking point when discussing his future value, his strikeouts. Stowers strikes out a lot, with over 156 currently, good for a 30% K rate. This isn’t pleasing to the eye, but he walks a lot to balance the massive number of strikeouts. This where the conversation of what Stowers’ actual value is and whether or not he can stick in the Orioles plans or not. I think it comes down to the tolerance for strikeouts, honestly. Stowers might be striking out a lot, but he still has 48 extra-base hits this year, and 66 walks with a great on-base and slugging percentage. Yes, he needs to cut down on the strikeouts, but he still has enough value with his defense and offensive profile to be in the big picture for the Orioles.
Overall, Stowers is one of the most intriguing profiles in this farm system. He has massive power and can be an exciting player, but he needs to become a little more disciplined with his strikeouts. I think Stowers can have a very bright future in the Orioles outfield because even with his large number of strikeouts, he still walks and hits the ball incredibly hard.
Kyle Stowers has one of the most exciting profiles in the whole Orioles farm system, and I can’t wait to see what he does when he gets a chance to prove himself next year at the major league level.
