Four Outfielders: Cowser, Steer, Frelick, & Carter

Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images

Previous Outfield Reviews

• Marsee, Caglianone, Carpenter, & Crews
• Marte, Doyle, Stowers, & Butler
• Nimmo, Ward, Profar, Happ
• Simpson, Adell, Rafaela, & Kwan
• Suzuki, Robert, Reynolds, & Cruz
• Soderstrom, Garcia, Friedl, & Laureano

Colton Cowser (252 ADP)

In 2024, Cowser looked to be breaking out with 24 HR and 9 SB with a .242 AVG. He didn’t repeat those results last year, as he missed time with several ailments (broken ribs, concussion, soreness, thumb). He only accumulated 360 PA but did have 16 HR and 14 SB. The injuries seemed to drag him down, as he had a .727 OPS in the first half and a .603 OPS in the second.

Most of the second half decline is from a 42% K% (.167 AVG) over the last two months. He showed no signs of breaking out of the funk, striking out in eight straight games to end the season. Pitchers noticed his struggles with non-fastballs and percent of fastballs he sees has dropped each of the past two seasons (47% to 45% to 43%) with his strikeout rate going from 29% to 31% to 36%

Besides the struggles making contact, the team sat him against four of the last five lefties they faced. And they started Jorge Mateo instead. Over his career, he has a .647 OPS against lefties and .722 against righties.

I could see the 25-year-old fitting into certain builds. Nothing points to his power and stolen bases going away. All projections and my player comps point to Cowser with 25 HR power. If there is an obvious upside with him, it with stolen bases. In just 213 PA in the second half, he stole 11 bases (0 CS) with six coming in September.

Final Take: It’ll be tough to target Colton Cowser since he’s a platoon bat with major contact issues. If a fantasy team is set on batting average, he could be an option for his home run and stolen bases.

Spencer Steer (244 ADP)

It’s tough to get a read on Steer. First off, he came into the 2025 dealing with a reccuring shoulder issue that kept him out of the field until almost the end of April:

Spencer Steer was the Reds’ starting first baseman today [April 20], marking the first time this season that Steer has played a position other than designated hitter. Steer’s longstanding right shoulder problems have been an issue since last season, and after the injury resurfaced during Spring Training, the decision was made to keep Steer as a DH (and off the injured list) until he could throw without discomfort. Today’s return to the field is a good sign that things are slowly returning to normal for Steer, though the larger issue is his ice-cold start at the plate — Steer had a .111/.186/.204 slash line in 59 plate appearances heading into today’s game.

Because he never got the shoulder fixed, so he might have to deal with it again. In 65 PA as the designiated hitter last year, he posted a .353 OPS. From May 1st on, he hit .252/.326/.441 while missing time with hand, leg, and neck injuries. One issue is that his bat speed dropped from 71.6 mph in 2024 to 70.9 mph. Most of the velocity drop came in the first two months but it never returned to previous levels.

Once he regained his bat speed in June, he averaged just over 4 HR per month to go with the .252 AVG. Besides the early struggles hitting, he didn’t steal as many bases. In 2024, he stole 25 bags and only 7 in 2025. From June 23rd on, he attempted just one steal.

Finally, his defense is well below league average. To be a regular, he’s going to need to hit.

Final Take: A shoulder injury ruined the first two months of Spencer Steer’s season, but he turned it around. With his current projections, I might expect a higher batting average and home runs but fewer stolen bases.

Sal Frelick (200 ADP)

Frelick pulled off the ideal double improvement by increasing his power and contact rate. On the power front, he was an afterthought in home runs coming into the year, hitting just three in 2023 and two in 2024. He was able to hit 12 HR in 2025. All of his power metrics improved, mainly due to his average bat speed going from 66.3 mph to 68.2 mph.

Besides hitting for more power, he began pulling the ball with his Pull% increasing from 30% to 41%. The power is not close to being elite but it’s better than his previous seasons.

Besides increasing his power, the 25-year-old raised this Contact% from 88% to 90% and dropped his strikeout rate from 15% to 13%. More and harder hit balls meant his batting average increased from .259 to .288.

If he keeps the skill improvement, he’s a steal at his current 200+ ADP after coming in as the 98th overall player last year. Maybe he has more in him. Ideally, he would have improved as the season went on, but his results stayed steady.

Final Take: Sal Frelick took a positive step forward in both his contact and hard hit rates last season. The key for him going forward is maintaining or improving on them … and not regressing backwards.

Evan Carter (345 ADP)

In 457 PA covering three seasons, Carter has hit .235/.326/.420 with 15 HR and 19 SB. Those numbers aren’t horrible if they were in the same season. Over the three seasons, his stats are all over the place so I’m going to lean into his projections. I have no idea how to evaluate small samples over several seasons. The projections have him near a 10 HR, 15 SB, and .240 AVG in 400 PA.

What I do know is his playing time will be limited. Over the past two seaons, he’s dealt with the following injuries.

He’s shown no ability to remain healthy.

Second, he’s likely in a platoon. In 68 PA against lefties (389 vs RHP), he has a -13 wRC+ (.275 OPS). Considering the platoon and the patchy health history, 400 PA might be generous.

Final Take: A significant platoon disadvantage and checkered injury history limits Evan Carter’s upside.