When do you make a call on Mullins this season?

[interloper]

Slash line after 18 games: .104/.214/.188/.402

Silver linings: 132 BABIP, 19% K rate is down from 2018's 19.4%. However, the walk rate is also down 8.9 to 6.9%.

 

How many games are you giving him before making some kind of change? It's still early and the sample is still small. I had hoped his 2 triple game might have got him on track, but he's looked overmatched again since. His outfield play seems fine enough, at least for this season's purpose. He's yet to steal a base, but that's because he's either not on base or he's on 3rd. 

For me, I'm in no real rush to replace him with, say, Rickard. Or Mason Williams, or whomever. You'd like to just ride him out until Hays is ready, but at a certain point you might be killing his confidence at the ML level if he keeps up this level of play. Even Richie Martin has a higher OPS right now.

 

[mdbdotcom]

When either Hays, Diaz or McKenna has completed their minor league development and is ready to replace him. No need to rush it.

[Aglets]

Probably until we have a better regular CF to run out there every day.   I think Rickard is a known commodity at this point so I wouldn't be too eager either to play him over Cedric.  That probably means that Mullins is mostly safe until Hays is ready.

[interloper]

1 minute ago, mdbdotcom said:

When either Hays, Diaz or McKenna has completed their minor league development and is ready to replace him. No need to rush it.

 

Just now, Aglets said:

Probably until we have a better regular CF to run out there every day.   I think Rickard is a known commodity at this point so I wouldn't be too eager either to play him over Cedric.  That probably means that Mullins is mostly safe until Hays is ready.

Yeah, I tend to agree. Figured I'd check the pulse on this one. It's basically sink or swim time for him. My only concern would be his confidence/getting into bad habits by pressing too much.

I expect they will start mixing in Rickard now and then in CF just to give Mullins some mental rest. It's possible Mullins performs better as a bench player. 

[mdbdotcom]

1 minute ago, interloper said:

 

Yeah, I tend to agree. Figured I'd check the pulse on this one. It's basically sink or swim time for him. My only concern would be his confidence/getting into bad habits by pressing too much.

I expect they will start mixing in Rickard now and then in CF just to give Mullins some mental rest. It's possible Mullins performs better as a bench player. 

I wouldn't worry about Mullins unless he starts taking his problems with the bat out to the field. Rickard doesn't present a solution for me. He and Mullins would be battling for the 5th outfielder spot on a good team.

[Mayor McCheese]

IMO you make the call when his BA drops below Davis. I can't see management letting a guy play everyday hitting .100 or below after 30 games.  I would assume he would share time with Rickard more often.

[mdbdotcom]

2 minutes ago, Mayor McCheese said:

IMO you make the call when his BA drops below Davis. I can't see management letting a guy play everyday hitting .100 or below after 30 games.  I would assume he would share time with Rickard more often.

Joey is hitting .159. Is that better?

[wildcard]

Watch the waiver wire.  Mullins is below replacement value now. Otherwise its wait for Hays.

[Moose Milligan]

I'd give him another month or so.  At least until a glaringly obvious better choice is available.

Hopefully Hays isn't Mr. Glass and can stay healthy for a period of time to get some at bats in the minors and get called up.  

[Tony-OH]

As others have pointed out, the issue is a lack of great options. Mullins at least is providing good defense in center field.

However, the best option could be Mason Williams if he can keep it going in AAA. He's slashing .391/.429/.565/.994 over his last seven games. He looks decent defensively and has 67th percentile speed so should be decent enough in CF.

Williams, 26, slashed .293/.331/.398/.729 in 132 PAs with Cincinnati last year but his 85.4 EV (ML avg is 87) and 7.3 launch angle suggests a below average bat overall. 

At the major league level, the the only real option is to move Rickard into center, but is Rickard really much of an upgrade offensively against right-handers? 

Since his two triples game, Mullins has slashed .042/.148/.042/.190 over eight games and 28 PAs. He's become an extreme pull hitter this year so sending him back with the focus of hitting to all fields again might be the best way to get him back on track.

 

[BohKnowsBmore]

Some time/number greater than 18 games into the season.  At least double that, if not quadruple.

[weams]

55 minutes ago, mdbdotcom said:

When either Hays, Diaz or McKenna has completed their minor league development and is ready to replace him. No need to rush it.

Bring up Santandar and make Joey play center until he plays himself off it. 

[BohKnowsBmore]

6 minutes ago, weams said:

Bring up Santandar and make Joey play center until he plays himself off it. 

Rickard is slashing .159/.245/.295/.540 right now, while sitting against a lot of RHP.  Why that's so preferable to letting Mullins work through (and hopefully break through) his extended slump is beyond me.

Not sure why there's a rush to ride Mullins out of town when the prevailing calls around here seem to be to let young guys take their lumps and develop at the MLB level.

[clapdiddy]

I don't think it hurts to keep Mullins up through mid-May to see if he can figure some things out.   This season is about seeing if some of these guys can cut it.   It's not like he's 20 years old.   He's at an age where he should be able to make adjustments if he's going to stick.

Honestly, I'd rather see him playing than Rickard.   I've seen enough of him.

 

[Frobby]

He gets until mid-late May.    Hopefully Hays is off the IL well before that and has found his stroke in Norfolk.    Then he’d be the logical choice to replace Mullins, and he’d be past the date when he’d finish the year with a full year of service time.