Could Pittsburgh use Mullins

[SteveA]

12 minutes ago, interloper said:

What if Hays totally bombs in ST and Mullins goes nuts? 

I don't think Elias puts much stock at all in the results/stats of spring training games.  Last year there were several examples that proved that.

Not to say people don't get evaluated in spring training -- the totality of all their work in practice, AND in games, in the field, in the cage, work habits, how their tools look.   If Cedric spent the offseason catching balls in CF and suddenly looks like he is taking advantage of his natural speed better and getting to more balls, or if he has a different approach at the plate that they like -- those would be positives.

But spring training might add at most 50 or 60 at bats to his recent (last 2-3 years) body of work so the stats themselves should have extremely minimal impact on his evaluation.   If "going nuts" appears to be the result of a changed approach at the plate or improved skills, that could make a difference.

[Frobby]

10 minutes ago, Philip said:

Oh I’m not picking a fight come in I’m not suggesting that you are either. Mullins is bad, and I doubt anybody can use him at this point, including us.

The reason we haven’t cut him loose is because there’s no pressure on the team to use his spot for someone better at the moment, no reason to remove him from the 40 man, and because he does still have potential.

As I said, several teams would be interested in him, but none would put him on their 40-man, And if he were not currently on ours, there would be no urgency to add him.

Well, I have not concluded that Mullins is bad.   I’ve concluded that he hasn’t yet shown that he’s good.     I’ve seen him play a few times in spring training and he’s an exciting defender (granted, with a below average arm) and baserunner.    His minor league stats suggest that his 2019 offensive performance in the majors was an anomoly.     But what I’m not sure of is whether he can be a .700+ OPS guy in the majors.   He had a .671 in 2018, during a season where he posted .875 at Bowie and .771 at Norfolk.    He’d have to be a bit better than .671 to be of use to us.    

[interloper]

When you look at Mullins and you look at Martin, both guys who struggled to hit in the MLB, it was pretty easy to tell which one was handling the failure and which one wasn't. At least in my opinion. That's obviously not quantifiable to us passive observers. But I propose that factored in to his demotion beyond just his struggles, which were significant. It's also easier to post poor offensive numbers as a SS than a CF. 

[Just Regular]

It isn't clear cut, but I do read the 2019 handling as protection after getting punched in the mouth.  If the front office saw him as a non-prospect, I think they may have been more likely to move him back and forth to catch fly balls occasionally as the summer went along.  Instead, they curated a long period for him to have a regular routine.  To me it is really the same as the full AAA seasons awaiting Wells, Zimmerman, maybe even Baumann, except Mullins got rushed in late 2018 as AJ's legs gave way.  He isn't a AAA-transcending talent like I hope our top guys are.

Mullins outplaying Hays is kind of the Mini-Me to Diaz outplaying Mountcastle as potentially intriguing spring training narratives.

[Frobby]

40 minutes ago, OrioleDog said:

Mullins outplaying Hays is kind of the Mini-Me to Diaz outplaying Mountcastle as potentially intriguing spring training narratives.

I think it’s probable that Mullins is the rangier defender in CF than Hays.   If he was capable of a .700+ OPS, I wouldn’t mind an OF with Mullins in CF and Hays in RF.   That OF would cover a lot of ground.   That said, Hays has a vastly bettter arm than Mullins and his range was decent in CF, plus he showed a good pair of hands.   I don’t see any way Hays won’t be a starter on the 2020 Orioles unless he’s hurt.    

[SteveA]

14 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I think it’s probable that Mullins is the rangier defender in CF than Hays.   If he was capable of a .700+ OPS, I wouldn’t mind an OF with Mullins in CF and Hays in RF.   That OF would cover a lot of ground.   That said, Hays has a vastly bettter arm than Mullins and his range was decent in CF, plus he showed a good pair of hands.   I don’t see any way Hays won’t be a starter on the 2020 Orioles unless he’s hurt.    

Eye-test wise, I didn't see Mullins make many plays while he was up that seemed to take advantage of his speed.   I was quite disappointed.

(Channelling Bill O'Donnell, who would say things like "Glove-wise, Belanger is a great fielder".)

[HowAboutThat]

9 minutes ago, SteveA said:

(Channelling Bill O'Donnell, who would say things like "Glove-wise, Belanger is a great fielder".)

That made me laugh. Somebody should collect comments like that. The resulting book would sell like nickel hamburgers

[Frobby]

34 minutes ago, SteveA said:

Eye-test wise, I didn't see Mullins make many plays while he was up that seemed to take advantage of his speed.   I was quite disappointed.

(Channelling Bill O'Donnell, who would say things like "Glove-wise, Belanger is a great fielder".)

Or “a great fielder, is Belanger.”

Per OAA, Mullins was +3 in his short time with the O’s last year.    That’s quite good.   

[24fps]

If the Pirates or any other team offers anything of value...

Pull.  The.  Trigger. 

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, RZNJ said:

That doesn't jibe with COC's eye test or agenda.

What possible agenda would I have with a player like Mullins?

Did he kick my dog?  Unfriend me on facebook?

[Can_of_corn]

6 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Got me. I can't get inside your head.  BTW interloper has explained to you multiple times that Mullins getting sent out had 100% to do with Mullins and 0% to do with Wilkerson and yet you keep insisting that the O's like Wilkerson more than Mullins.  You choose an argument and are unwilling to listen to reason when it disagrees with your dug in position. 

You never give an inch. Interloper is right. You just can't acquiesce even the slightest.  Too bad.  Take some lessons from Frobby.  You're both smart but he is much more respected because he is smart enough to  actually listen to the other guys argument.  You're so busy trying to win that you lose.

Evidently you can't get inside my head since that wasn't the point I was making at all.  I don't think the Orioles are enamored with either of them.

What I said was that Mullins was so bad that they had to use a guy out of position to replace his spot on the roster.

I don't think he got sent down because of the strain of struggling, I don't think he got sent down because it was hurting his development.  I think he got sent down for the same reason Dan Straily got the boot.  Because even by the low standards of the 2019 Orioles he couldn't get it done.  In that respect yes, it matters who replaced him. 

 

As for the rest of your little lecture, it's weird how the other half of this discussion isn't listening to my argument but you only find a need to chastise me. 

[weams]

 

[Thats Baseball]

Wilkerson DFA. Kind of lines up with they didnt want to let Mullins get into his own head over they liked wilkerson more than Mullins. If they were down on Mullins it didnt make sense to send him to a hitting school during the off season. 

[weams]

7 hours ago, RZNJ said:

Who do you know that think Mullins got a raw deal?  I have not seen one person who thinks that. He was handed the CF job and he lost it, bottoming out all of the way to AA.  I never felt the team had anything but the best interests of Mullins as they demoted him from Baltimore to Norfolk to Bowie.  Just as his 2018 season earned him first crack at the 2019 CF job his ST and horrible start to the season earned him his demotion. I believe Mullins has ML talent but it's questionable if he has a regular everyday ML bat.  I certainly have not given up on him.  It's a bit premature for that, IMO.

Good perspective. 

[7Mo]

12 hours ago, RZNJ said:

Who do you know that think Mullins got a raw deal?  I have not seen one person who thinks that. He was handed the CF job and he lost it, bottoming out all of the way to AA.  I never felt the team had anything but the best interests of Mullins as they demoted him from Baltimore to Norfolk to Bowie.  Just as his 2018 season earned him first crack at the 2019 CF job his ST and horrible start to the season earned him his demotion. I believe Mullins has ML talent but it's questionable if he has a regular everyday ML bat.  I certainly have not given up on him.  It's a bit premature for that, IMO.

Given the offseason swing change work, I'd think he has a fresh start this ST. Hope the changes work for him.