Cedric Mullins 2022

[MurphDogg]

Can't say that I had specifically noticed this, but adding 3 MPH on his outfield throws is impressive. Glad he isn't resting on his laurels.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

 

[survivedc]

It’s Cedric Mullins again!!

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

[InsideCoroner]

8 hours ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

That's a cool screen grab. Great read on the hit and a great dive.

[Just Regular]

The Monday lineup with Mullins down at 8th against a LHP was noteworthy here.

I think credit to the Club here for moving quicker than they do with some other things on a tactic that will probably become more common in the not too distant future if Gunnar and Cowser hit like we hope they can.

Curious to see how Saturday against McClanahan looks.     Mullins is having a fine followup season to 2022's breakout, but it might be a stretch for him to stay permanently in the top of the lineup.    Before Monday I kind of figured he'd done enough for that change to be enacted with an offseason to prepare for it.

Obviously Cowser probably won't repeat the Markakis Opening Day gig, but he may be playing his way toward Adley Game 40 type things, at which point a common 2023 lineup, even vs. RHP, might become like 3B Gunnar, LF Cowser, C Adley, DH Santander, 1B Mountcastle, RF Hays, CF Mullins, 2B Westburg (Urias?), SS Mateo.

[sportsfan8703]

I’m predicting Mullins really going on a tear soon. Mateo is on fire in front of him, and nobody wants to pitch to Adley. Mullins just needs to realize that we don’t need 30 HR from him this year, not even 20. He needs to start hitting line drives on all the fastballs he should be seeing. 

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

Cedric Mullins is playing in the 2023 World Baseball Classic for Team USA. 

 

[justD]

Interviewed today on Power Alley on SiriusXM, I have a ton of things to do but decided to transcribe this instead 

JD - Jim Duquette, CM - Cedric Mullins, MF - Mike Ferrin

Quote

JD           Congrats, man, you’re having a great season, second half’s been fantastic, the team has been good. Let’s start with the team first, just because it’s been – I think Mike was saying earlier – it’s been unexpected, to some degree, outside of maybe that clubhouse. How about with you guys, as you’ve kinda seen this team grow during the course of the year, what’s that been like?

CM         Yeah, it’s been amazing, it’s been fun to watch, it’s been fun to be a part of. You know, I think the best part about how good of a season we’re having is just kinda the consistency we’ve been showing. I know it would be one thing if we were showing spurts throughout the year, but just going out there playing hard every day and showing consistency of playing well, it’s just been a huge step for us.

MF         Was there a moment this season where, when things started to turn for you guys, like, “Hey, we’ve got a chance!” Is there a moment that it happened?

CM         I don’t know if I could say exactly when. I don’t know, I think our pitching was always solid and things just started to turn around for them, and at the same time our offense was clicking up and down the lineup. Some guys might’ve been cold, but other guys stepped up. I think it’s just that point of stepping up each night and being “a guy” regardless of who it was that night, has been huge for this team.

JD           It’s hard to point to any one thing, right? When you have a season the way you guys are doing it. I mean, the defense has been fantastic, you mentioned the offense, the pitching, especially the bullpen. I mean, is there one part of the team, though, that stands out to you by maybe comparison to last year that is significantly better?

CM         Yeah, I’d say like guys coming in to seal the deal in terms of our bullpen – they’ve been amazing. You know, I think that’s what we kinda struggled with last year, keeping games close, giving us a chance late in games, or just shutting it down. Both of our guys, Adley and Robbie, have been doing great in terms of guiding these guys, some of the younger guys, and just helping them out and that’s been amazing to see. And Adley being as young as he is, coming in and stepping up and just being one of our guys to help us throughout this process.

MF         You mentioned the bullpen and how good they’ve been. We’ve been talking about closer entrances, right, because there’s been a lot of attention obviously in New York, but Felix Bautista, now that he’s slipped into that role having the Omar Little, “Farmer in the Dell”? Like for us, I think that’s awesome. But as a player, what’s it like when he comes into the game now?

CM         No, that was awesome the first time they did it, we were completely unaware that was about to happen. So we were about to take the field, and we’re thinking we’re having technical glitches with the lights. I was like, “Yo! They got music playing with it! This is really cool!” So I was taking the field and I was like, I don’t think I can warm up yet, til these lights stop flickering, before I throw a ball straight at my man’s face and he doesn’t see it. But nah, that was an amazing moment, for sure.

JD           Yeah, I imagine that does disrupt a little of your warmup routine! Give us a feel, Cedric, obviously you’ve had a really good season. The second half has even been better, you’re .290/.355/.452, you’ve stolen 10 bags, what’s going on, how are you feeling in the second half at the plate?

CM         Just strong. It felt like it just took me a while to find that groove in the first half, but just tried to stay consistent with my routine and then trying to find that “click” and it just took me a little longer than I would’ve wanted. But yeah, now it’s just a matter of going out there and just trusting what I’ve been working on up to this point, and it’s been really paying off. Like you said, a strong second half, and have got a month and some change left, battling for this Wild Card spot and just hoping to be a huge part of it.

MF         With that, was some of that “getting into the groove” adjustments that the league had made against you? Or was it more timing? Finding your swing? Because obviously that’s something that guys will go through, and it always stinks when it’s for an extended period, right, but it’s something that can happen. So how much was from your end, and how much do you think it was like learning some of the adjustments the league was making after last season?

CM         I’d say it was a little bit of both. So I was watching, paid attention to video of my own swing, just slowly trying to break it down and I’d have a side-by-side of how I was looking this year and it was very similar, but I was just wanting to try and make those small tweaks to get as close to what it was last year, and was finally able to do that. And then adjustments to the pitchers, I was like, okay, what are these guys doing this year that might be a little different? And just really locking in on certain video, especially of guys within our division, to get a feel for how each team might be attacking me at the plate. Just being able to make those adjustments along with the season going on has been huge.

JD           I’m curious too, because with the way you guys have played, and being in the postseason race here, I mean you’ve got a really young team. Even yourself, you’re the veteran now! You’ve got two years of service time and you’re the veteran in there! But what’s it like in terms of showing up to the ballpark every day knowing you have a chance to win? I was looking at this, and you guys are 33-19 since July 1^st; that’s impressive.

CM         Yeah, going into the year it was kinda funny, when a lot of people were saying, “Yeah you’re the veteran now!” And I would kinda chuckle at the fact because it just it was it is, you know, I kinda embrace that role. I’m not much of an outspoken person so I like to lead through example, and I feel like I’ve been doing pretty well at that. And just trying to keep the mesh going. These guys have been great, the clubhouse has been awesome. Some of the older guys that have been coming in that have years under their belt – Lyles, Chirinos, even Rougie – like those guys have been great for our clubhouse as well.

MF         What was it like with Gunnar Henderson in the lineup last night? Obviously the home run was a big moment, not just for him but in the game. But there’s been a lot of buzz about him coming at some point, so now finally getting him in the lineup, what was it like last night?

CM         Nah, it was cool! He was definitely excited. He gave that feeling off as soon as he walked into the clubhouse, just real quick signals up to everybody, so I was just excited for him. And once he got out there, it was just baseball. Like, he looked very comfortable, played solid defense, hit a huge homerun (we need to get him a tighter helmet), but it was a fun moment.

JD           Maybe a chin strap, right? [stealing that from Hyde’s interview last night?] I wanted to ask you this, though, I don’t think we’re getting too far ahead of ourselves now, but you committed to play for Team USA in the WBC, which is fantastic! Congrats on that! Was that something that was on your, kinda, bucket list?

CM         Yeah, I didn’t even know for a while when that would be coming back, so I forget when they had announced that the WBC would be happening in 2023 (I’m pretty sure it was a long while ago?) but it was kinda like a quick, “Wow, that would be cool to be in.” Then just focused back in on preparations for the season and during the season, how I was playing and performing. And then when I got called into the office, I’d say a few weeks ago at this point, and they said they had interest in me playing, I was kinda taken back like, “Whoa, Wait, really?” And that was just a cool moment. Like, it was an immediate “Yes!” on my end and it’s going to be exciting and fun.

JD           That’s awesome.

MF         No doubt, no doubt. Hey, before I let you go, I have to ask you. I guess I didn’t realize that you played at Campbell [University], and that program has been one of the fastest rising mid[…], basically since you were there in ’15. How much do you keep in touch with the folks there? I mean, like a first-rounder this year in Zach Neto picked by the Angels. It’s kinda a cool story in the Buies Creek area that the Campbell Camels are now like this low-level national power!

CM         Yeah, it’s amazing what Campbell has been able to do, even before I arrived I’d always run into someone that I know that knows about Campbell. And at the time, I was like, “How does everyone know about this place, where it takes like 15 minutes to find a Wal-Mart?” I mean, I don’t understand. And I obviously went to the school, had a great time and had a great experience, and still talk to Coach [Justin] Haire who’s like running their program, like I say, he’s done great things for that school, it’s just amazing to watch.

MF         I was afraid your Camels were going to lose him, I kept hearing his name with Ohio State this winter, but man, he’s built an unbelievable program, and the facilities are pretty good too, right? Did they share the facilities with a minor league club this year? Is that right?

CM         Yeah, so a few years back, I forget exactly what year it was, but yeah, it was an Astros Hi-A affiliate so they redid the field, turned all that, upgraded the clubhouse for the college team, (which of course, feels like everything upgrades as soon as you leave…) So I finally had a chance to finally go back and see what was going on and was like, “Man, this is like wayyyy better than the trailer…” [ed: I don’t know how to signify how his voice trailed off there, it was pretty funny] But it was fun, I was happy for those guys.

MF         You know what’s going to happen, now that you’ve had success, is that they’re going to come to you and they’re gonna want like this “Cedric Mullins Hitting Facility” or “Cedric Mullins Clubhouse” (JD: Or “Cedric Mullins Field”!)

[My feed stopped here but the interview was just about over…]

 

 

[Aristotelian]

Thoughts on Cedric Mullins and his future as 2022 winds down? 

The good:

• Fangraphs and BBref both have him with a solid 3 WAR.
• Throwing arm appears improved. Overall defense has been very solid. 
• Another 30 SB season, in a virtual tie for the league lead with his buddy Mateo. 

The bad:

• As many thought, he has not maintained his offensive production, going from 135 to 105 OPS+, WAR has dropped 5.7 to 3.3.
• His slash lines of .261/.323/.725 are almost identical to his 2020 season. 
• Teams are shifting him every chance they get, yet his 45% pull rate is closer to Chris Davis than to Ichiro. 
• Also 1:1 GB/FB, about the same as last year (Ichiro was about 2:1 for his career).

The ugly:

• Splits vs lefties have been abysmal. Despite respectable .725 overall OPS, vs LHP he has hit .201/.558. His new LH-only approach that appeared successful last year is not working vs LHP this year. 
• He has recently started losing AB's to McKenna which never would have happened last year. 

Overall, it appears he hit his ceiling in 2021. Best case scenario, he changes his approach and becomes more productive, especially vs LHP.  He is one player I think could benefit from a change of hitting approach. There is no reason a lefty player with his speed should be pulling the ball all the time. Banning the shift is going to help him perhaps more so than anyone on the team. I would still like to see him model his game more after Ichiro, hitting to the right side, preferably on the ground, especially with LHP. Bunt if necessary.

If he can't boost his production against lefties, something is going to have to change, possibly platooning with Hays or a RH 4th OF like McKenna.

Alternatively, trade him for pitching and make fixing him someone else's problem. Problem is, we don't have an obvious CF replacement on the team or in the pipeline. There was a time we may have thought Hays could slide over, but he hasn't been great either. Cowser won't be ready til the second half and (at least for me) his defense in CF is unknown. 

Thoughts on Mullins and CF as we look ahead to '23?

[nvpacchi]

1 hour ago, Aristotelian said:

Thoughts on Cedric Mullins and his future as 2022 winds down? 

The good:

• Fangraphs and BBref both have him with a solid 3 WAR.
• Throwing arm appears improved. Overall defense has been very solid. 
• Another 30 SB season, in a virtual tie for the league lead with his buddy Mateo. 

The bad:

• As many thought, he has not maintained his offensive production, going from 135 to 105 OPS+, WAR has dropped 5.7 to 3.3.
• His slash lines of .261/.323/.725 are almost identical to his 2020 season. 
• Teams are shifting him every chance they get, yet his 45% pull rate is closer to Chris Davis than to Ichiro. 
• Also 1:1 GB/FB, about the same as last year (Ichiro was about 2:1 for his career).

The ugly:

• Splits vs lefties have been abysmal. Despite respectable .725 overall OPS, vs LHP he has hit .201/.558. His new LH-only approach that appeared successful last year is not working vs LHP this year. 
• He has recently started losing AB's to McKenna which never would have happened last year. 

Overall, it appears he hit his ceiling in 2021. Best case scenario, he changes his approach and becomes more productive, especially vs LHP.  He is one player I think could benefit from a change of hitting approach. There is no reason a lefty player with his speed should be pulling the ball all the time. Banning the shift is going to help him perhaps more so than anyone on the team. I would still like to see him model his game more after Ichiro, hitting to the right side, preferably on the ground, especially with LHP. Bunt if necessary.

If he can't boost his production against lefties, something is going to have to change, possibly platooning with Hays or a RH 4th OF like McKenna.

Alternatively, trade him for pitching and make fixing him someone else's problem. Problem is, we don't have an obvious CF replacement on the team or in the pipeline. There was a time we may have thought Hays could slide over, but he hasn't been great either. Cowser won't be ready til the second half and (at least for me) his defense in CF is unknown. 

Thoughts on Mullins and CF as we look ahead to '23?

Even in a 'down' year for Mullins he has still managed a 107 wRC+ , pair that with good defense and we're still talking about a very good centerfielder.

He's striking out at the same rate as last year, so something is going on when putting the ball in play.  He's carrying an overall similar flyball rate to last year, and he's always pulled the ball, so I don't really know if the approach is too different. Except maybe to lefties where 24% of his batted balls are pop ups.

Year 3 is probably the make or break year to see what the true Mullins is.  In '21 he probably overperformed his true skill set, and this year he probably slightly underperformed - plus the new baseball probably hurt his power numbers too.  Take the average and we have a player that puts up 120 wRC+?

He's posted a 115 wRC+ since July 1st - so I'd say he lands somewhere between 115 and 120 next year.  Translating to like a .760 OPS give or take, but I think a lot of that depends on him being somewhat respectable against lefties again, which an offseason of work may permit him to do.

[jamalshw]

I would trade Mullins if you can get someone to pay for him thinking he's closer to 2021 than 2022, but I'm not sure I make a trade if the offer is for 2022 Mullins. Ultimately I think (hope) he's better than he showed this year (at least better against LHP). And I do want to see what he's able to do without the shift. 

Overall, his inability to hit against LHP this year is concerning and part of a larger issue with the team in general that has been magnified the last couple days against the Tigers. 

[Spy Fox]

I don't think now is the time to trade Mullins.

1. Even at '22 levels not '21 levels he is a valuable piece of what is hopefully three more years of contention before he hits FA. 
2. I think there is a chance you could get more back for him in another year if he maintains his production. As opposed to someone like Santander who I suspect is at peak value this offseason. 
3. There isn't a non-Judge free agent CF that I'm interested in. 
4. There isn't another person in the org I trust with CF for next year. Maybe Cowser can become that guy next season but I don't think the '23 Orioles should be heading into the season relying on him for CF.

[Tony-OH]

8 minutes ago, Spy Fox said:

I don't think now is the time to trade Mullins.

1. Even at '22 levels not '21 levels he is a valuable piece of what is hopefully three more years of contention before he hits FA. 
2. I think there is a chance you could get more back for him in another year if he maintains his production. As opposed to someone like Santander who I suspect is at peak value this offseason. 
3. There isn't a non-Judge free agent CF that I'm interested in. 
4. There isn't another person in the org I trust with CF for next year. Maybe Cowser can become that guy next season but I don't think the '23 Orioles should be heading into the season relying on him for CF.

You think Mullins struggles against major league lefties, Cowser hit .189/.322/.254/.576 in 149 PAs against them this year across all three levels he played.

Cowser may be a platoon guy if he can't get that better next year in AAA.

[Tony-OH]

I think Mullins is underrated by some here, especially those who expected him to repeat his year last year. Mullins plays a plus defensive center field (only weakness now is coming in on balls) and offensively he's had a better 2nd half to make his overall numbers better.

Now, his hitting has fallen way off against lefties and that has dragged down his stats. He may end up an Al Bumbry type that needs to be platooned against lefties, but I think he still provides value.

Here's my biggest issue, I don't know who is replacement is at the big league level within the system. The best defensive CF I've seen this year is Jud Fabian, and he's barely in High-A after being drafted this year. We don't know how that bat plays against upper level pitching yet.

Colton Cowser had a weird year where he couldn't hit High-A or AAA pitching, but murdered AA pitching. Either way, he can't hit lefties either (.189/.322/.254/.576 in 149 PAs this year). I

I'm also not convinced he should play CF  and will be better in RF or LF (arm is certainly good enough for RF). 

So who replaces him? McKenna is who he is and that's a 4th/5th outfielder type you start occasionally against a soft tossing lefty. Hays? His defensive and offensive number trended in the wrong direction this year and he's slowed down. 

Hunter Haskin in AA? I'm not convinced he has the foot speed to play CF and is more of a leftfielder. Could he end up McKenna's replacement one day? Potentially.

Brett Phillips? Dude can play center field better than all of the guys above, but completely lost the ability to hit at the major league level. He'll be 29 next year but if the Orioles can get him on a minor league contract I'd stash him in AAA.

So in the end, there is no close replacement for Mullins so if you trade him, you better get a major league ready CF in return and who is going to give a CF in return for a CF?

Mullins is going to be CF next year but the team may want to upgrade the right-handed hitting side of his platoon though McKenna was respectable .259/.318/.448/.766 in 62 PAs against southpaws so far this year.