William Monroe Cook...Is a 2017 graduate of Lewis-Palmer (Colo.) High School, where he was named the Colorado Springs Gazette's Baseball Peak Performer of the Year as a senior...Attended Pepperdine (Calif.) University (2018-21)...Was named to the All-West Coast Conference First Team in 2021 after hitting a conference-leading 17 home runs...His father, Chuck, played baseball at the Air Force (Colo.) Academy...His mother, Julie, played basketball and volleyball at Air Force...His grandfather, Dan Adair, played baseball at the University of Wyoming...His uncle, Marc Adair, played football at both Brigham Young (Utah) University and the University of Utah...Was signed by Orioles scout Scott Walter.
2025
Spent the majority of the season with Indianapolis...Was recalled on June 18 when Bryan Reynolds was placed on the paternity list...His 22 hits in June at the time of his promotion were tied for the third-most in all of Minor League Baseball (ranked third among full-season Minor Leaguers with a .458 average and sixth with a .536 OBP)...Went 1-for-4 and scored a run while starting in center field in his season debut on June 19 (G1) at Detroit (played the final two innings at first base)...Pinch ran and played the final inning of Pittsburgh's 8-4, 10-inning win in right field on June 19 (G2) at Detroit...Had a pinch-hit single and played the final two innings in right field on June 20 vs. Texas...Was optioned to Indianapolis, where he remained for the rest of the season, on June 21...Hit .389 (28-for-72) with six doubles, nine RBI, nine walks, five stolen bases, 14 runs scored and a .984 OPS in 21 June games with the Indians...Ranked tied for second among all Pirates farmhands in hits, tied for fifth in doubles and runs scored and ninth in total bases (37) during June, while also ranking second among full-season players in batting, OBP (.470) and OPS and fifth in slugging (.514)...Also ranked second in the International League in batting, fourth in OBP and tied for fifth in hits during the month...Homered in a career high-tying three straight games from July 20-23...Recorded at least one RBI in a career-best six straight games from July 20-26 (11 RBI total)...Finished a home run shy of the cycle after going 3-for-5 with four RBI and two runs on Aug. 1 at Iowa...Played in his final game on Aug. 3 at Iowa (suffered a left forearm fracture after being hit by a pitch thrown from the rehabbing Jameson Taillon)...Was placed on the seven-day injured list on Aug. 10 (retro to Aug. 8) and missed the remainder of the year.
2024
Hit .275 (115-for-418) with 24 doubles, four triples, 17 home runs, 74 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 115 Minor League games...Began season with Norfolk (Orioles’ AAA) and went 4-for-8 in two games before being assigned to Bowie (Orioles’ AA) on 4/2...Hit .255 (13-for-51) with 10 RBI in 15 games with Bowie before returning to Norfolk on 4/24...Hit .438 (14-for-32) with a .513 OBP and 1.263 OPS in nine games from 5/9-18, raising his Triple-A average from .250 to .325... Homered in three straight games from 6/14-16...Was acquired from Baltimore on 7/30 and assigned to Indianapolis (was rated Baltimore’s No. 28 prospect by MLB Pipeline at the time he was acquired by the Pirates)...Connected for his second grand slam of the season on 8/13 vs. St. Paul...Reached base safely in 14 straight games from 8/9-27...Went 2-for-4 and hit his third grand slam of the season on 9/7 at Toledo... Was hitting .276 (29-for-105) with five home runs, 21 RBI, a .389 OBP and .875 OPS in 30 games with Indianapolis when he was selected to the big league roster on 9/8...Made his Major League debut as the starting first baseman on 9/8 vs. Washington and went 2-for-4 with two RBI; had a two-run double off Patrick Corbin in his first at-bat...Became the first Pirates first baseman with multiple hits in his MLB debut since Alex Hernandez on September 1, 2000...Connected off Matthew Liberatore for his first Major League home run (a three-run shot) and had a career-high three RBI on 9/18 at St. Louis...Hit safely in each of his last three games; homered at Yankee Stadium on 9/28...Made four starts in center field, four at first base, three in left field and three in right field while playing with the Pirates...Did not receive a walk in his 49 plate appearances in the big leagues.
2023
Spent the entire season with Bowie...Batted .330 (29-for-88) with six doubles, four home runs, 13 RBI, seven walks, eight stolen bases, 12 runs scored and a .909 OPS in 23 June games...Reached base safely in a career-best 14 straight games from June 17-July 4, during which he was 18-for-54 (.333) with four doubles, two home runs, eight RBI, eight walks, six stolen bases, six runs scored and a .938 OPS...Homered in a career high-tying three straight games from July 9-15 (hit his fourth career grand slam on July 9 at Richmond)...Had a career high-tying, 10-game hitting streak from July 7-23, during which he went 15-for-41 (.366) with two doubles, four home runs, 12 RBI, seven runs scored and a 1.165 OPS...Hit two home runs (including his fifth career grand slam) and had seven RBI on Aug. 3 at Portland...Was named the Eastern League's Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 4-10 after going 8-for-23 (.348) with five home runs, 11 RBI, five walks, nine runs scored and a 1.500 OPS in six games vs. New Hampshire (homered in a career-high-tying three straight games from Sept. 5-7, while also drawing four walks in the Sept. 5 game)...Ranked tied for second among all Baltimore Minor Leaguers in home runs, fourth in stolen bases, fifth in RBI, eighth in total bases (204), tied for eighth in hits and tied for 10th in extra-base hits (42), while also ranking eighth among all full-season players in slugging and 10th in batting...Led the Eastern League in RBI and ranked third in total bases, tied for third in home runs, fourth in hits, sixth in slugging, tied for sixth in stolen bases, tied for ninth in extra-base hits and tied for 10th in runs scored...Batted .222 (16-for-72) with five doubles, four home runs, 14 RBI, 14 walks, 10 runs scored and an .818 OPS over his 20 games with the Arizona Fall League's Mesa Solar Sox.
2022
Spent the entire season with Aberdeen (Orioles' High-A)...Hit his second career grand slam on May 14 at Hudson Valley...Hit his third career grand slam on Aug. 17 vs. Asheville... Set a career high by homering in three straight games from Aug. 17-19 vs. Asheville (had 11 RBI over the three games)...Set his career high with a 10-game hitting streak from Aug. 17-31, during which he was 14-for-40 (.350) with six extra-base hits (including three home runs), 13 RBI, six walks, three stolen bases, nine runs scored and a 1.122 OPS...Hit .305 (25-for-82) with six doubles, two triples, five home runs, 21 RBI, seven stolen bases, 15 runs scored and a .977 OPS in 21 August games...Ranked third in the South Atlantic League in extra-base hits (13), fourth in slugging (.610), tied for fourth in triples, tied for sixth in RBI, tied for seventh in home runs, eighth in OPS, tied for eighth in doubles and total bases (50) and tied for ninth in stolen bases in August...Hit .263 (5-for-19) with four RBI and three stolen bases across his six postseason games with the IronBirds...Was tied for third in the South Atlantic League in triples, tied for fourth in extra-base hits (42), ninth in RBI and tied for 10th in stolen bases.
2021
Made his professional debut with the FCL Orioles Orange (Orioles' Rookie-Level) on Aug. 2 at the FCL Rays...Was promoted to Delmarva (Orioles' Low-A) on Aug. 17...Set a career high by stealing a base in three straight games from Aug. 19-21 vs. Fredericksburg...Went 4-for-5 with a double, a career-high three home runs and a career-best nine RBI on Sept. 4 at Carolina (hit his first career grand slam in the Shorebirds' 21-3 win)...Hit a combined .263 (30-for-114) with eight doubles, six home runs, 29 RBI, 10 stolen bases, 20 runs and an .819 OPS over 29 games split between the two teams.
