BALTIMORE — At some point in the next six days, Cedric Mullins’ time in Baltimore could be over. The 30-year-old center fielder is a prime trade chip for the struggling Orioles, who will continue to sell leading up to Thursday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline.
But Mullins wasn’t potentially leaving town without reminding everybody why he’s become so beloved among O’s fans over the past eight seasons — and he did so with an incredible sequence during Saturday night’s 18-0 win over the Rockies at Camden Yards.
First, Mullins added another defensive gem to his career highlight reel. The athletic speedster robbed Orlando Arcia of a hit in the third inning, making a Superman-like catch in left-center.
It was eerily similar to the catch Mullins made on Jackie Robinson Day on April 15, 2024, when he took away extra bases from the Twins’ Kyle Farmer with the same type of grab.
Then, in the fourth, Mullins blasted a three-run home run to the right-field flag court that extended Baltimore’s lead over Colorado to 6-0. It was Mullins’ 14th homer of the season and the 100th of his big league career.
In the process, Mullins became only the third player to reach both 100 home runs and 100 stolen bases for the Orioles, joining Brady Anderson (209 homers and 307 steals) and Paul Blair (126 and 167, respectively).
There doesn’t appear to be a ton of center fielders available on the trade market, so more teams could have an interest in Mullins. He’s a former All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner who has postseason experience and has served as a clubhouse leader in Baltimore in recent years.
The numbers don’t tell the whole story, especially defensively. Entering Saturday, Mullins’ minus-17 defensive runs saved (per FanGraphs) marked the worst total in baseball. He sometimes doesn’t take the best routes to balls — or doesn’t get the best jumps — and his arm strength ranks in the 45th percentile, per Baseball Savant.
But Mullins has the athleticism to overcome all of that and still make tremendous catches, as he has done quite often for the O’s, including again Saturday night.
“The eye test doesn’t show that,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “When you look at the DRS — and you guys watch the games every night — it doesn’t match up with what I’m watching.”
When Mullins came out of the dugout at the start of the fifth inning, he received a standing ovation from the crowd. He then gave a tip of his cap to the fans.
The Orioles went on to record the largest shutout win in franchise history. Their previous mark was set on July 27, 1969, when they notched a 17-0 victory over the White Sox at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.
