BALTIMORE (AP) — A year ago, Kyle Stowers was shuffling back and forth between Triple-A Norfolk and Baltimore while trying to establish himself as an everyday major leaguer.
Stowers was forced to continue that quest in Miami after being traded by the Orioles last July 30. Unfortunately, success remained elusive as the overwhelmed rookie strived to adjust to a new environment and big league pitching.
This season, however, everything has clicked for the blond, blue-eyed outfielder. It started on opening day, when he singled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth against Pittsburgh.
And so, when Stowers returned to Baltimore with the Marlins on Friday, he did so as a member of the NL All-Star team.
“I’m very comfortable in this ballpark. It’s where I debuted. I hit my first home run here,” Stowers said before the start of a three-game series between two sub-.500 teams. “Lot of special moments. I guess I shouldn’t say a lot. A few special moments.â€
Drafted by Baltimore in the second round of the 2019 amateur draft, Stowers hit .229 over parts of three seasons with the Orioles. Then, with Baltimore looking for pitching to mount a playoff run, Stowers was sent to Miami with infielder Connor Norby for lefty Trevor Rogers.
Stowers batted .186 in 50 games with the Marlins after the trade. This season, however, he has flourished.
“He has made some adjustments,†Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “The big leagues will expose your holes, and then it’s a sink or swim scenario. He’s swimming.â€
While the Marlins tinkered with Stowers’ swing, the 27-year-old overhauled his fear-of-failure attitude.
“I just feel like I’ve learned how to not put pressure on myself,†Stowers said. “I kind of realized that I’m the one person in my life who wouldn’t be OK with me not having the baseball career I should have. I have a multitude of people that love and care about me regardless of what happens on the baseball field. I just kind of leaned on that, and my faith in God.â€
Stowers came to town batting .279 with 16 homers and 48 RBIs. Only one player on the Orioles has a better batting average, and no one on the team has as many long balls or RBIs.
“Opening night, getting a walk-off hit was a great start,†Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “The one moment that stands out for me was the walk-off grand slam he hit off (2024 All-Star closer) Mason Miller (on May 3). Premium velocity at the top of the strike zone, which is something that is well-documented that Kyle has struggled with in the past.
“But the adjustments he made to be able to get to that pitch, that was a big one for us and a big one for Kyle.â€
McCullough hopes Stowers and Norby can savor their return to Baltimore this weekend, beyond merely socializing with old friends.
“Come back and enjoy this,†the first-year manager said. “It’s cool in a lot of ways to come back and see former teammates and coaches that you spent time with and were part of your growth as a young player. Embrace that. That’s why guys come out and do a lot of cool things against their former teams. I hope that happens for us in this series.â€
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