After a season in which Colton Cowser quickly established himself as a major league regular for the Orioles, the outfielder has been named an American League Rookie of the Year finalist.

The nomination, announced Monday night on MLB Network, comes as little surprise, considering Cowser earned the American League’s Outstanding Rookie award, as voted by the Major League Baseball Players Association. Monday’s finalist nomination comes as part of voting from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Should Cowser win the top spot on Nov. 18, he’ll become the second straight Orioles player to earn the Rookie of the Year award, following shortstop Gunnar Henderson. With it, Baltimore would receive another draft pick through the prospect promotion incentive program, which gives clubs an extra selection after the first round.

The last time a team had players win Rookie of the Year awards in consecutive seasons was in 2016 and 2017, when the Los Angeles Dodgers had Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger. Before Henderson’s win, catcher Adley Rutschman was a finalist for the award in 2022, finishing second to Seattle outfielder Julio Rodríguez.

Cowser finished third in the American League among qualified rookies with a .768 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, and his 24 home runs were tied with San Diego’s Jackson Merrill for the most among all rookies.

Cowser navigated the ups and downs of a rookie season well, finishing with a .243 average. Although his strikeout numbers were higher than he would’ve expected, his power and defense helped make up for them. Cowser was a finalist for a Gold Glove Award for his work in left field, although Cleveland’s Steven Kwan won the honor.

Part of Cowser’s success came with a midseason adjustment. Cowser went into the All-Star break using his usual 33 1/2-inch bat. But, at the suggestion of outfielder Anthony Santander and longtime hitting coach Sid Holland, Cowser used a 34-inch bat after the break.

In his first at-bat with the longer barrel, he powered a 420-foot homer against Texas’ Nathan Eovaldi. He surged with the larger bat. In the second half of the season, Cowser hit .268 with an .814 OPS.

Cowser’s emergence as an everyday-quality player facilitated an unexpected trade deadline move. Austin Hays, who had been an everyday outfielder for Baltimore since 2020, was traded to acquire bullpen help. The Orioles swapped Hays, one of their few veterans, for right-hander Seranthony Domínguez of the Philadelphia Phillies.

The deal worked in Baltimore’s favor, although both clubs lost in their first round of postseason action. Hays played just 22 games for the Phillies as he dealt with injuries, and Domínguez became the fill-in closer for the Orioles (Baltimore also picked up Domínguez’s $8 million option for next season).

Two New York Yankees, starting pitcher Luis Gil and catcher Austin Wells, are the other American League finalists. They were both key parts in New York’s path to the World Series, and they edged out Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu as one of the three candidates for Rookie of the Year.

Wells hit .229, partly because of a slide in average toward the end of the season. The 25-year-old was hitting .259 at the end of August. The catcher added 13 homers and 55 RBIs.

And Gil started 29 games and posted a 3.50 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP.