Cedric Mullins as a CF

[NCRaven]

If Mullins were still switch hitting and had not made any objective changes to his approach, I would question whether this was just an extremely hot streak.  But the fact that he made a significant change, going strictly lefty, that he had never done before, gives me hope that this is real.  Not the last three games real, but the upward trend real.  Mullins might not be a guy you build around, but he could be one of those guys that you use to build around your stars.  With his defensive profile limiting him to 1B, Mountcastle may in the same category, but both Mountcastle and Mullins could be big parts of a future winning team.

[Just Regular]

After a couple highlight plays along with the hitting on the weekend, Savant has him as MLB's #3 overall OF in OAA today.

The too good to be true part of this breakout is if he was fielding that brilliantly but hitting like Kiermaier/Phillips, that would still be attractive in its own respect.    If he were hitting like this but still scuffling to adjust to second decks in MLB ballparks or whatever, same deal.   

Two-way players are gold.

I agree the Betts/Ichiro we are being reckless with baseball gods.    Young good Adam Eaton is one I'll toss - plus in a couple years he can be traded for GIolito and Dunning.

[Sports Guy]

1 hour ago, OrioleDog said:

After a couple highlight plays along with the hitting on the weekend, Savant has him as MLB's #3 overall OF in OAA today.

The too good to be true part of this breakout is if he was fielding that brilliantly but hitting like Kiermaier/Phillips, that would still be attractive in its own respect.    If he were hitting like this but still scuffling to adjust to second decks in MLB ballparks or whatever, same deal.   

Two-way players are gold.

I agree the Betts/Ichiro we are being reckless with baseball gods.    Young good Adam Eaton is one I'll toss - plus in a couple years he can be traded for GIolito and Dunning.

Eaton is a good potential, grounded comp.

[Ruzious]

2 hours ago, OrioleDog said:

After a couple highlight plays along with the hitting on the weekend, Savant has him as MLB's #3 overall OF in OAA today.

The too good to be true part of this breakout is if he was fielding that brilliantly but hitting like Kiermaier/Phillips, that would still be attractive in its own respect.    If he were hitting like this but still scuffling to adjust to second decks in MLB ballparks or whatever, same deal.   

Two-way players are gold.

I agree the Betts/Ichiro we are being reckless with baseball gods.    Young good Adam Eaton is one I'll toss - plus in a couple years he can be traded for GIolito and Dunning.

Nice.  We won't even hold out for Reynaldo Lopez.   

[Hallas]

13 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

There is a difference between that he has shown to be a good to very good everyday player or a build your team around guy.

A guy you build your team around (I agree with the above post that this isn’t like other sports where you do build around someone but hey, this is the comment that was made and started this discussion, so I’m going with that) is a multi time AS, MVP level guy.  Not a guy who has had a few good weeks after practically being nothing in his career.

Like I said, he had a 730ish OPS in May.  No one is building around a player like that.  If he was coming off just a good series vs Cle, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.  But since he is coming off of one of the better 3 game stretches in franchise history, the comment was made.  
 

This comment/discussion isn’t being had 4 days ago and yet somehow I’m crazy for saying we need to see more?  That’s not logical. 
 

So yes, he hasn’t done anything for me to say you build around him because there hasn’t been nearly enough sample size to put him on that level of a player.  

Like I said, this is semantics, but you can only pick one between "need to see more" and "hasn't done anything." because "more" implies that he's done something, which clearly is at odds with "hasn't done anything."

 

Anyway, I agree that we need to see where he's at over a full season.

[Moose Milligan]

33 minutes ago, Hallas said:

Like I said, this is semantics, but you can only pick one between "need to see more" and "hasn't done anything." because "more" implies that he's done something, which clearly is at odds with "hasn't done anything."

 

Anyway, I agree that we need to see where he's at over a full season.

IMO, need to see where he’s at this time, next season. 
 

(Yeah, CoC, if there’s a season, I know, I know.)
 

The history of baseball landscape is littered with guys that had one amazing year and could never capture that glory again.  I want to believe Mullins is for real but even if he goes wire to wire with an amazing season he still needs to do it again next year for me to have 100% faith. 

[GuidoSarducci]

13 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

That has nothing to do with the question I asked.

I am basically saying that those who think he is a guy you build around, that you would pay him that deal.

That is the type of deal franchise players are getting nowadays and if you are going to say you build around Mullins, you are saying he is a franchise player.

So, I’m hypothetically asking, if he were a FA at the end of this year, would you be comfortable giving him that deal?

Moot point because he’s not,   Very few players reach FA when they’re 26. If they did it’s because they’ve been playing in the majors since they were 19/20 which means they were elite talents like Bryce Harper. 

You’re engaging ina hypothetical where Mullins is reaching FA at 26 after only having played 1.75 seasons in the majors and basically only having one good year to judge him by  It makes no sense for any player at all. 
 

 

 

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

51 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

IMO, need to see where he’s at this time, next season. 
 

(Yeah, CoC, if there’s a season, I know, I know.)
 

The history of baseball landscape is littered with guys that had one amazing year and could never capture that glory again.  I want to believe Mullins is for real but even if he goes wire to wire with an amazing season he still needs to do it again next year for me to have 100% faith. 

Larry Sheets is one for the Orioles. Had a monster season in 1987 batting .316 with 31 home runs and a 143 OPS+. Was a mediocre hitter or worse for the remainder of his career afterwards.

Mullins is looking very good, but yeah we need to see how he is hitting in 2022. One good thing about Mullins, he can become an average hitter and still provide value to a team with his defense.

 

[InsideCoroner]

4 hours ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

Larry Sheets is one for the Orioles. Had a monster season in 1987 batting .316 with 31 home runs and a 143 OPS+. Was a mediocre hitter or worse for the remainder of his career afterwards.

Mullins is looking very good, but yeah we need to see how he is hitting in 2022. One good thing about Mullins, he can become an average hitter and still provide value to a team with his defense.

 

Such a weird flare-up. One year you hit .316 with 31 HR and 94 RBI, a .921 OPS, the next year it’s a .645 OPS over a full season, and a year later in the off-season you’ve been traded for Mike Brumley (who didn’t even make the team). Mike Brumley. I wouldn’t even trade Mike Brumley for two Mike Brumleys in return. 

[Ruzious]

And Rich Coggins - who looked like Al Bumbry's younger brother when they both came up.  He OPS'd .831 in 1973 (at age 22); then .618 and was just a scrub for the rest of his career.  Sad.  

[Ruzious]

Interesting that Bumbry - like Mullins - had his first big season at age 26.  He played till he was 38, but his last real good season was at 33.  Remember to trade Mullins after he has a big season at age 33.  

[Sports Guy]

8 hours ago, Hallas said:

Like I said, this is semantics, but you can only pick one between "need to see more" and "hasn't done anything." because "more" implies that he's done something, which clearly is at odds with "hasn't done anything."

 

Anyway, I agree that we need to see where he's at over a full season.

The problem is, you leave off the rest of it..hasn’t done anything is only part of the sentence..the rest of it is “to show that he is a guy you build around”

5 weeks of good baseball is nothing in terms of figuring that out.

[Sports Guy]

7 hours ago, GuidoSarducci said:

Moot point because he’s not,   Very few players reach FA when they’re 26. If they did it’s because they’ve been playing in the majors since they were 19/20 which means they were elite talents like Bryce Harper. 

You’re engaging ina hypothetical where Mullins is reaching FA at 26 after only having played 1.75 seasons in the majors and basically only having one good year to judge him by  It makes no sense for any player at all. 
 

 

 

Way to avoid answering the question.

[Sports Guy]

6 hours ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

Larry Sheets is one for the Orioles. Had a monster season in 1987 batting .316 with 31 home runs and a 143 OPS+. Was a mediocre hitter or worse for the remainder of his career afterwards.

Mullins is looking very good, but yeah we need to see how he is hitting in 2022. One good thing about Mullins, he can become an average hitter and still provide value to a team with his defense.

 

Everyone had a big year in 1987

[foxfield]

8 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

IMO, need to see where he’s at this time, next season. 
 

(Yeah, CoC, if there’s a season, I know, I know.)
 

The history of baseball landscape is littered with guys that had one amazing year and could never capture that glory again.  I want to believe Mullins is for real but even if he goes wire to wire with an amazing season he still needs to do it again next year for me to have 100% faith. 

See: Charboneau, Joe (1980 Rookie of the Year) then....oblivion.