2021 Draft Preview: Colton Cowser (OF)

NAME: Colton Cowser
SCHOOL: Sam Houston State
POSITION: OF
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6’3″, 195 lbs
B/T: L/R
D.O.B.: March 20, 2000
PREVIOUSLY DRAFTED: No

SCOUTING REPORT

Sam Houston State may not be the most well-known college for developing professional baseball talent, but outfielder Colton Cowser might become the exception to the rule. Also, he went to Cypress Ranch High School in Texas, high school home of former second rounder Matthew Thompson (White Sox), JJ Goss (Tampa Bay Rays), Jared Alvarez Lopez (San Diego Padres), Corbin Martin (Houston Astros) and projected 2021 first-rounder Ty Madden.

Still, there was limited interest in the outfielder back in high school. Scouts kind-of liked his left-handed stroke, but not enough to draft him. Cowser may have suffered from the tremendous amount of talent coming out of his area in 2018. In the same vein, no well-known power college ended up recruiting Cowser, but he landed safely in Division I, in the less-prestigious Southland Conference with Sam Houston State. And that may have just triggered something in the talented outfielder.

Cowser burst onto the college scene in 2019 and slashed .361/.450/.602 with a 1.052 OPS, 31 XBH (17 2B, 7 3B, 7 HR), 9 steals and 54 RBIs in 216 at-bats. Even more impressive: he struck out only 29 times, but also walked 26 times. He received an invitation to the Team USA Collegiate National Team — a first for a player from Sam Houston State. He was named Hitter of the Year for the Southland Conference, and took home the MVP Award after the Friendship Series between Team USA and Cuba.

Cowser never quite got going in the abbreviated 2020 season, but is back to hitting bombs again left and right so far during the 2021 campaign. In 164 at-bats this season, he’s already up to 13 home runs and 40 RBIs, while stealing 15 bases and only being caught three times. He’s walking more than he’s striking out (34 / 28) and is pushing a .500 OBP (.475) with a 1.122 OPS. On top of those stats, Cowser also definitely passes the eye test. A sweet, smooth, quick left-handed swing, above average speed and long running strides, good instincts on the base paths and very good plate coverage make the outfielder a joy to watch play.

Scouts have had some doubts about Cowser’s defensive abilities in the outfield, but after a failed experiment at third base in 2019, Cowser has done everything he can to prove that he belongs in the outfield. He’s now a natural center fielder, who has displayed the ability to play all three outfield positions, courtesy of excellent reads off the bat, an (occasionally inaccurate) cannon of an arm and close-to-elite closing speed.

https://twitter.com/BearkatsBSB/status/1129566793440399365?s=20
SCOUTING GRADES

These scouting grades are from mlbpipeline.com. Cowser’s grades probably fluctuate across publications.

HIT: 60
RUN: 60
POWER: 50
ARM: 50
FIELD: 55
OVERALL: 55

PROSPECT OVERVIEW AND FUTURE OUTLOOK

Cowser has most if not all the tools of a first round draft pick. Sure, you can nitpick and desire more power and fewer linedrives off his bat, but as he further improves physically, he can turn those linedrives into home runs. The 21-year-old may not excel in any one particular area, but he is a player who does everything well, shows strong instincts, high adaptability and outworks almost everyone. The chip on his shoulder from not getting drafted out of high school or ending up in the Southland Conference may benefit him here. He has the looks of a solid big league regular, or at worst a fourth outfielder on an MLB team.

MOCK DRAFTS

Baseball America projected Cowser to go 12th overall, to the Seattle Mariners, in their Mock Draft 3.0. Prospects Live dropped him a little further down, to the Toronto Blue Jays at 19. FutureSox’ James Fox pegs the Giants at 14 as a potential destination. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel agrees with James. Bleacher Report goes all-out and turns Cowser into a top-10 pick, to the Royals at 7. MLB.com rounds it off at 10, to the New York Mets.

POTENTIAL FIT WITH WHITE SOX

With the White Sox not drafting until #22 in the first round, there is not a great chance Cowser will still be on the board. On top of that, the organization is laden with outfielders, most of whom may not be of the level of Cowser, but they are also not yet given up on. On top of that, the organization is linked more to prep position players than college bats. All of this makes it hard to envision the White Sox going for Cowser if he were available but the system lacks left-handed bats overall making him an option if there’s a slide.

Photo credit: Sam Houston State Athletics

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