Orioles Player Profile: Cedric Mullins
Boyce Cedric Mullins was born on October 1st, 1994, in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Baltimore Orioles drafted Cedric Mullins in the 13th round of the MLB Draft in 2015 out of Campbell University. Mullins made his MLB debut on August 10th, 2018, against the Boston Red Sox. He is the second-longest tenured Oriole, tied with pitcher John Means. Only outfielder/DH Anthony Santander has been with the club longer (2017).
Cedric Mullins was sent to the team’s low-A affiliate down in Aberdeen, Maryland after being drafted. Mullins hit .264 with 2 home runs and 32 RBIs in 68 games with the IronBirds. In 2017, he was promoted to single-A Delmarva and continued to improve. Mullins had a .273 batting average with 14 home runs and 55 RBIs in 124 games with the Shorebirds. Cedric bounced back and forth between double-A Bowie and triple-A Norfolk in 2017-18 and hit .277 with 25 home runs and 84 RBIs in 185 games. After showing promising signs in the middle of the 2018 season, Mullins was promoted to the show.
Mullins struggled a lot in his first stint at the majors. In just 45 games he hit .235 with 4 home runs and 11 RBIs. He also had 37 strikeouts in those 45 games, causing Baltimore to send him back to Norfolk to open the 2019 season. Mullins’ struggles would continue, and he would eventually be demoted to double-A that same season. His batting average dipped to .233 and was as low as .094 after the Orioles desperately moved him back to the majors. The O’s were in the middle of their rebuild and needed good outfield play, so Mullins found himself back in the majors a little too early. One thing that remained the same was his defense, and it earned him a roster spot to start 2020.
Cedric took off in the covid-shortened season. He raised his batting average from .094 to .271 and had three triples. Mullins had a scare with Crohn’s disease at the end of the season, having to get surgery in November of 2020. The disease disrupts the intestines, and Mullins received intestinal surgery to treat it. The surgery didn’t cause him to miss any of the 2021 season, and it was a career year. Mullins hit .291 with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. He became the first Oriole ever to have a 30/30 season, and he won the silver slugger award. This award is given to the top offensive player of each league. Mullins was also a gold glove nominee for some of the best defense in the sport.
The baseball world saw Cedric Mullins make many dazzling plays this season. Whether it be diving catches, taking away hits or hitting home runs, he can do it all. On a team filled with youth, Cedric Mullins is the veteran leader the Orioles definitely need. He didn’t have the season we had hoped this year but look for Cedric to rebound in a huge way. After all, you can’t escape him.
