LEG-O's! Cowser, Henderson bond over brick building

BALTIMORE -- Colton Cowser and Gunnar Henderson have quite a bit in common. They’re both talented baseball players. They’re young -- Cowser being 24 and Henderson at 23. They’re core members of the Orioles in 2024, as well as for the foreseeable future.

They’re Star Wars nerds. (Cowser even bought Henderson a collectible Yoda lamp as a birthday gift earlier this summer, an item that now sits atop Henderson’s locker in Baltimore’s home clubhouse at Camden Yards -- which, appropriately, is next to Cowser’s.)

They’re also fans of LEGO, with the duo entrenched in an annual competition to see who can build a complex set the quickest. Unsurprisingly, the first three editions of the battle featured Star Wars-themed LEGO sets.

“It just gets your mind off the long day at the field sometimes,” Henderson said of LEGO building after games. “It’s a fun thing to just progressively work through throughout the year, and just have a little competition with it.”

Henderson took a 2-1 lead over Cowser in the series this year, as he’s already completed a 5,374-piece Venator-class republic attack cruiser. The O’s teammates went to a LEGO store just before Opening Day in March to purchase the identical sets.

It was the first time Cowser and Henderson were on level playing fields for the entire battle.

In 2022, the LEGO set the two built was a 7,541-piece Millennium Falcon. Cowser completed it first, but he also spent the entire season in the Minor Leagues, moving from High-A Aberdeen to Double-A Bowie to Triple-A Norfolk. Henderson became a bit preoccupied by making his MLB debut on Aug. 31 of that year, which meant a LEGO pause and further road trips to take.

Henderson got revenge in 2023, but he also had an advantage last year. He spent the entire season in the big leagues, putting together an American League Rookie of the Year Award-winning campaign and also completing a 6,187-piece Razor Crest. Cowser lost while shuttling between Triple-A Norfolk and the Majors multiple times.

Cowser had an opportunity for a bounce-back LEGO victory in 2024. So, what happened?

“I just got lackadaisical, you know what I mean?” Cowser said. “I got to the point where when I got back to the apartment, I’d rather just chill and watch TV than build. But he was building like every night, so he dusted me this year. I’ll be lucky to finish by the end of the year.”

Henderson didn’t shy away when given the opportunity to brag about his LEGO winning streak.

“He didn’t do so great this year. I don’t even think he was really close to me,” Henderson said with a grin. “I usually build a little bit more in the mornings than I do after games.”

According to Cowser, it was closer than Henderson may be giving him credit for. Cowser said the two “were probably at about the same spot” in mid-to-late May. Then, Henderson pulled ahead, diligently piecing together the republic attack cruiser, a ship that is a common sight in Star Wars media set during the Clone Wars.

But Cowser was equally as motivated as Henderson early in the battle.

“I was kind of cooking,” Cowser said. “And so was he.”

More important than any win is the friendship that Cowser and Henderson have cultivated in recent years, making it even more enjoyable to go through a long baseball season together.

When the Orioles were in New York in June, Cowser and Henderson -- along with teammate Dean Kremer -- made a visit to the LEGO Store there. They even bought each other sets to build in their spare time.

“It’s fun being able to relate to something off the field,” Henderson said. “Because, I mean, obviously we relate to each other in baseball and just the grind we go through. To have something that gets your mind off things is huge.”

The 2025 season should bring Part 4 of the LEGO-building battle. And it could even become a three-person competition.

Trevor Rogers, who was traded from the Marlins to the O’s on July 30, also builds LEGO sets. The 26-year-old picked up the hobby while on the injured list for much of 2023.

Cowser is open to adding extra competition, which could even ramp up his effort to win.

“I was a little disappointed in myself this year, I’m not going to lie,” Cowser said. “But hey, maybe we’ll have to get Trevor in the mix, too. I know he’s a fan of some LEGOs, too.”