When Cedric Mullins was first called up to the big leagues in 2018, he joined a Baltimore Orioles team that wound up with a 47-115 record. That was the organization’s worst record since 1939, when they were still the St. Louis Browns.
Mullins has seen his squad transform into one of the MLB’s best. Along the way, he’s become a beloved figure in the city of Baltimore. Mullins’ grit, energy and determination have captivated a city that prides itself on the same values — and it’s helped the 5-foot-9, 175-pound centerfielder carve out an impressive big league career.
Despite rumors he might be flipped at the deadline, Mullins was not included in any deals ahead of the July 30 trade deadline. The Orioles brought in starting pitchers Zach Eflin and Trevor Rogers, relievers Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto and designated hitter Eloy Jiménez, among others, ahead of the deadline.
Mullins is under club control for one more year beyond 2024.
“I’ve been with Baltimore my entire career. It’s been home, simply put,” Mullins said on Glenn Clark Radio July 26. “You’re not necessarily in control, so you control what you can. My job is to go out there and compete and try to produce to help put wins on the board for this team. Whatever direction the team decides to go, it is what it is. We all hope to be around in Baltimore for the full length of our careers … but you try not to think about it. You try to stay focused on the now.”
For Mullins, the “now” entails being a key contributor in the Orioles’ quest for their first World Series in more than 40 years. He got a taste of the postseason a year ago, when he started all three games in last year’s crushing ALDS sweep at the hands of the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers.
The Orioles are “100 percent confident” they can get to the Fall Classic, Mullins said, but last October put the difficulty of that task in perspective.
“The understanding of what it’s going to take to [get to the World Series] has changed based off the experience last year,” Mullins said. “We know that we’ve still got to stay relaxed, but the [playoff] intensity was different. We all felt that. Being able to have that experience, come back and still play a really good season and then put ourselves in that exact situation, then we put ourselves in a great spot to make those adjustments from last year.”
Mullins is consistently one of the league’s best defensive center fielders, but he’s struggled at the plate the last couple seasons. His .657 season-long OPS is his lowest mark since 2019, but he improved greatly as his name began to swirl in trade rumors. He slashed a ridiculous .345/.487/.655 across his final 12 games in July, tallying two home runs and seven RBIs.
“When you see a guy going through a struggle, he’s trying to make adjustments within the game,” Mullins said. “It’s not a situation where you’re able to step out, try to work on some things, be put in a situation where those numbers don’t count and then you go back and see if they worked. You’re trying to make these adjustments day in and day out within competition.”
With Austin Hays being dealt to the Phillies in the Domínguez deal, Mullins and fellow outfielder Anthony Santander are now Baltimore’s longest-tenured players. Mullins and Santander have played together for years, dating back to their minor league days. The bond they share on the field is special, Mullins said.
With Santander in the midst of a career year — one that earned him his first-career All-Star nod — Mullins can’t help but be proud of his friend.
“He actually came to me and he said, ‘I see me, you and Hays being in the big leagues together.’ And this was when we were in Double-A,” Mullins said. “He exceeded what I could have possibly thought. I see this guy come in as a Rule 5 pick, know nothing about him. … He had that keen eye of where he saw his talent, and it came to pass. So it was pretty cool to be around him and to watch him grow and develop.”
For more from Mullins, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox