Confidence and belief in Cedric Mullins

At FanFest last Saturday, Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Elias only had to answer a few questions before being asked about former Orioles center fielder Adam Jones. It was bound to come up at some point. Twice that I can recall, fans showed their love for Adam when they asked about his return to the team.

Elias won’t give a direct answer to this question. Usually free agent information is not discussed publicly. However he did say that Adam, “would always be welcome,” and he’s, “always an Oriole.” So there’s something to toy around with. Couple that with Elias saying, “we’re monitoring the free agent market,” and you’ve got a solid recipe for jumping to conclusion.

I’ve already read the tweets how other fans say he’s not ruling it out completely. While I agree with that sentiment to an extent, it’s also not a guarantee, nor is it likely. Maybe the Orioles are waiting out the market? Maybe they want to see if Adam receives any offers elsewhere to know his worth. Or maybe, they’ve appreciated what he’s done for the organization and the city of Baltimore, and they’re committed to moving on.

The Orioles felt comfortable enough to make that commitment last season, when Cedric Mullins made his debut on August 10. Seen in the dugout before their game against the Red Sox, Jones stepped back and signaled Mullins to lead the team onto the field. Speaking with the media after the game, Mullins said, “It kind of felt like a pass-the-torch situation. Just being able to feel like you’re taking charge of your debut. That’s the only way I can describe it.”

And the torch has indeed been passed to Mullins, who is projected to be at the top of the lineup for the 2019 season. Expected to be on the Opening Day roster, Mullins has earned the right to be the everyday centerfielder. From his days at Campbell University, to his playing time with the GBSA Rays Travel Academy, Mullins’ pursuit of a major league career has finally come to fruition.

I spoke with Eddie Phelps, the founder of the Georgia Baseball and Softball Association, an academy that helps players develop their knowledge and skills of the game. We spoke for a few minutes about what he sees in Cedric and how he believes in his ability to play center field at a very high level.

“He patrols centerfield as well as any of the top centerfielders in the game,” Phelps said. “He gets great reads on the ball and makes tough plays look very easy.” Phelps wanted me to understand just how much ground he can really cover in the outfield. “His plus speed gives him the ability to keep hits in the gap to singles or catch them if the ball stays up to long.”

Before making his debut with the Orioles, Mullins posted a 2.76 range factor per nine innings at Triple-A Norfolk. As provided by MLB.com, the answer to your question of, “why is range factor important,” is that it helps you understand how many plays a given player can make. Typically, the higher the number, the more plays he’s making.

The more plays that are being made, the more confident a pitcher is to throw the ball over the plate. Phelps told me Mullins is, “a guy pitchers trust.” He said, “His elite speed takes away bloop singles because he plays a shallow centerfield.”

Speed and range aren’t the only things that stand out to Phelps about Mullins. He hasn’t yet turned 25, but Phelps told me he has incredible leadership skills for being so young. “The guy is always praising his teammates, he talks about the team doing well before he lets a conversation focus on his own personal goals.”

He’s the ideal definition of a selfless player and Phelps confirmed that Mullins sticks to the game and doesn’t let anything around him get in the way of that. “He just goes out and does his job. He just uses that for motivation. Kid has heard for so long what he can’t do. He just proves people wrong at every stop. That’s the type of guy I would want leading my team.”

He’s the kind of guy Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde should want leading their team as well. He’s been ranked as high as the ninth-best prospect in the Orioles organization and should be fun to watch develop further at the major league level. He can now add experience at the major league level to his resumé.

In 45 games last season, he hit .235 (40-for-170) with four home runs and 11 RBI. He went 2-for-5 in stolen base attempts and turned in a 2.62 range factor per nine over 377.2 innings in the outfield. And as he told MLB.com reporter Joe Trezza in January, Mullins believes, “the talent is there for me to continue to compete. Now it’s about getting smarter.”

“It comes down to the point of being better than myself, always competing against myself. Continuing to grow, to develop, and making the most of my opportunities.”