Getting to Know Cedric Mullins

Now in his fourth Major League season, Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins has transformed himself as a player to become one of the league’s hottest hitters today.

After a breakout season at Triple-A Norfolk in 2018, in which he earned Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year honors, Mullins made his Major League debut in August of 2018. A top 10 Orioles prospect at the time of his debut, he went on to make his first career Opening Day roster to start the 2019 season.

But after struggling through the first few weeks of the year, he was optioned to Triple-A in late April before landing in Double-A Bowie, where he ended up spending a majority of the 2019 campaign.

Mullins, like the rest of the baseball world, was hit with a new challenge in 2020 when the season was halted and shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout all of the struggles he faced over the previous year, he continued to battle, ensuring he’d be ready to join the big league club when the opportunity presented itself again. He made the Opening Day roster in late July and appeared in 48 of the team’s 60 games last year, batting .271 (38-for-140) with 10 extra-base hits and 16 runs scored.

Despite the improvements made in 2020, no one could have predicted the success Mullins has enjoyed to start the 2021 season. Always regarded as a prolific defender and electrifying baserunner, he now has the power to complement his other tools, making him one of the most well-rounded players and feared hitters in the Orioles lineup.

After enjoying an incredible first month of the season, Mullins currently leads MLB in hits and has more home runs through his first 29 games than he had in any previous season of his Orioles career. The 26-year-old looks to continue this hot start as the engine of the Orioles offense moving forward.

After being a switch-hitter for your entire Major League career, you made the decision this offseason to bat solely from the left-side. What went into that decision?

The decision came after seeing the numbers over the course of my Minor League career and in the big leagues. I knew my left side is my best side, and that kind of sprung the decision to go left on left. I’ve had to make a lot of adjustments, but it’s been coming along really well.

What has it been like getting to play in the big leagues with guys you came up with through the Minors, like Austin Hays and DJ Stewart?

It’s great. Knowing that all of us had a chance to make it to this point and being able to play with them for so many years, it’s pretty fun. We have that connection with each other because of those years together at each affiliate. We just continue to have fun now at the Major League level together.

What is the team mentality like at this point in the 2021 season?

Our team mentality is just us sticking together and having that “gel” over the course of the season. Having unity helps us win games and I think it’s coming along, and we’re just going to continue to get better.

What are your goals for this season, both personally and as a team?

As a team, we’re trying to be playoff competitors and go out there everyday and work hard. For me personally, it’s a matter of putting my best self out there every night and I know the results will come with that.

You’ve played at a different level almost each season of your professional career since being drafted in 2015. What have you been able to take away from each stop?

I’ve learned that the game slowly speeds up at each level. I just try to slow everything down. The competition continues to peak at each stop. You start to create a funnel where you are playing with the best of the best.

You were a mid-round pick (13th round, No. 403 overall), overlooked because of your size. Did that cause you to play with a chip on your shoulder? How have you overcome critics saying you’re not big enough?

It’s funny, because when you hear something so much, it stops affecting you. I’ve heard about my size basically my whole life. It’s just something that really doesn’t matter, especially in the game of baseball. It’s not like I’m trying to be in the NBA and guarding guys twice the size of me.

Can you describe the feeling of making your Major League debut? How special was it to have your parents there?

It was awesome. The only person that wasn’t able to make it was my younger sister, but they were able to also record it back at home, so she was able to see it that way. It was awesome for my parents and family to be there, and then for them to see themselves on TV – they enjoyed that experience as well. Their phones were blowing up just as much as mine.

You were the first position player from Campbell University to make the Major Leagues. What has that honor been like?

That’s an awesome fact and honor. There’s been a lot of great guys to come out of Campbell and for me to be the first position player [to make the big leagues] is pretty crazy. I know a lot of pitchers have gone through Campbell and made their big league debuts and are still playing to this day. It kind of amazes me, because of all the players that have come through, for me to be the first [position player] is humbling.

What are some of your favorite offseason activities and hobbies outside of baseball?

I’ve been dabbling with a lot of activities outdoors. Making sure that I catch some sun and fresh air and that I’m not just sitting in my house. I enjoy playing video games as much as the next guy, but I want to get out and try new things. I started to pick up fishing, and also did some kayaking. Just trying to explore a bunch of different things.