If the Orioles first-round pick, Colton Cousser, handled any adjustments from college to professional baseball, he didn't show it.

After Baltimore drafted Sam Houston outfielder with the fifth overall pick in the July draft, he went to the Florida General League, was hit in half of his shots, and then continued to draw after a transfer to Low-A Delmarva. The professional ball he first tasted did not show the power he showed with a metal bat as an amateur this year, but his other diagonal numbers are surprisingly similar. After Cousser reached 0.374 as a junior in Sam Houston with a 0.490 on-base percentage, his average shooting rate between FCL and Delmarva was 0.375, and his OBP was 0.490. In college and minors, he walked more often than he attacked.

"I think there are always things that can help you improve your game, and I think I learned some of them this year," Cousser said in a video call at the Orioles training camp in Sarasota, Florida. "I think the rhythm of the game is a bit different from that of college. There are more routines. More on your own. You play almost every day. You need yourself to adjust and complete the business. I think this shortened season helps me. Achieving this has allowed me to develop good habits and feel all of this."

Orioles chose Cowser because he believed that his bat would allow him to move quickly in their farm system, and the early returns were promising. Whether he will return to Del Marva next spring or join High-A Aberdeen does not matter, as the Baltimore front office has shown a willingness to improve a prospect that it believes can benefit from another level of challenge this season. College rookie Jordan Westberg, the Orioles’ second-round draft starting in 2020, the path followed in 2021—the opening month of the low A, the long-term extension of the high A, and the end of the double A—will It is a logical one for Kaiser to follow.

However, Kauser said that his focus in the training camp is to make incremental improvements to achieve results this season, including other 2021 recruits and some of the organization's top rookies, such as Westburg.

"I think the most important thing for me now is to keep my body in good condition to make progress and learn what I need to do as a player," Kauser said. "I think it's a big place in the weight room now. I just want to be stronger, more explosive, and carry these things throughout the offseason to spend an important year, which will help Add a lot of numbers, such as power and contact rate. We are doing all kinds of things here."

The training camp also gave him more time to connect with his teammates in FCL and Delmarva, as well as other people in the organization he has not yet met. When asked to evaluate his time with the Orioles so far, he mainly talked about "building a good relationship" with those around him. When he discusses the success he and his other candidates have achieved in Del Marva, he must pay attention to how well they know each other.

Between the end of the minor league season and the beginning of this training camp, he also had the opportunity to reflect on the past year, where he grew into the best player in the college and the top five pick.

"Whenever I sit down and really think about it, it's crazy," Kauser said. "I'm really lucky to be where I am now, and I am very, very grateful."