Cedric Mullins left today’s game with what Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters was a strain in the outfielder’s right abductor/groin area. Mullins suffered the injury in the eighth inning of the 5-0 loss to the Guardians, as the center fielder was trying to beat out a grounder to first base.
More will be known about Mullins’ condition after he undergoes testing, but it certainly looks like he’ll be headed to the 10-day injured list, and the only hope is that his strain is of the relatively mild variety. In the interim, the Orioles will have to make do without their team leader in fWAR (1.8), and a player who has been a somewhat underrated all-around contributor since the start of the 2021 campaign.
Over 224 plate appearances this season, Mullins has hit .263/.356/.479 with eight homers and 13 steals (in 15 chances). That translates to a 133 wRC+, which is only slightly behind Mullins’ career-best 136 wRC+ mark over 675 PA in 2021. It’s worth noting that Mullins’ .362 wOBA far outpaces his .318 wOBA this year because his hard-contact numbers are below average, but (ironically, given the circumstances of today’s injury) Mullins’ excellent speed has often allowed him to turn that soft contact into base hits. The outfielder’s strikeout and rate walks are well above average, and Mullins’ 11.8% walk rate is easily his career best, and a nice improvement for a player who has sometimes struggled to consistently get on base.
Offense is only part of the story for Mullins, who is also a standout defender in center field. The Outs Above Average metric has always loved his glovework, and while the UZR/150 and Defensive Runs Saved metrics are a bit more mixed over the years, he got unanimously positive grades across the board for his center field work in 2022.
Replacing Mullins in the event of a longer-term injury will be very difficult for the Orioles, but the team has enough outfield options to get by if he is only sidelined for a couple or weeks. Ryan McKenna and Austin Hays are the only other players besides Mullins to see any action in Baltimore’s center field since the start of the 2021 season, and since Hays is already getting regular action in left field, so the O’s might just go with a platoon of McKenna and Terrin Vavra up the middle.
Baltimore has top outfield prospects Colton Cowser and Kyle Stowers down at Triple-A, though both are themselves currently sidelined with injuries. The Orioles could turn to their prospect depth in another fashion, as The Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka suggests Joey Ortiz could be recalled, which shifts Adam Frazier into the outfield mix with Hays, McKenna, and Vavra. Perhaps the simplest move would be for the Orioles to select the contract of Daz Cameron from Triple-A, as the former first-rounder is hitting well at Triple-A in his first season in the organization.
Say it ain’t so, Cedric! The O’s have to stay away from injuries to compete in the toughest division in bb. At least his injury came when he was trying to beat out a hit. No one dropped a barbell on him, he didn’t walk into a glass door or cut himself while whittling.
Typical of the Angelos family to respond in this way. There’s always something with their family drama that spills out onto the club’s inner workings.
What are you going on about? What does the Angelos family drama have to do with Mullins popping a groin?
@lin13
Don’t mind Bluto there, blubbering about the Germans bombing Pearl Harbor.
It ain’t over…
Nots13 just likes to ramble and complain about abstract and disjointed theories outside the actual realm of baseball. In other news, tigers can’t change their stripes.
Lol I can not
I almost offered up Adolis Garcis for him in fantasy baseball. I’m glad the opponent rejected that deal.
I have him in my keeper league so I’m hoping for the best.
Same here, my MVP
His injury shouldn’t last beyond this season, though. Besides, don’t you have better players? I’d keep deGrom, Yordan, and Trea over him if I acquired him.
Hmmm…let’s take a look at this in reverse. “I’m glad the opponent rejected that deal because I almost offered up Adolis Garcia for Cedric Mullins”. >=}
I’m not using him as a keeper. My concern is with this season, whereas the other person seems to be concerned about his status next year, as he seems to be interested in keeping Mullins for next season.
Just goes to show that O’Neill was right. Don’t go max effort or you’ll injure yourself.
Perfect time to get an extension done with him
How is his wOBA outpacing his wOBA? It seems there’s an “x” missing.
gbs42: That’s because all of his X’s live in Texas & that’s why he resides in Tennessee.
Gbs42 blocked you too lol!
Why does Cedric sound like another name for the body part he injured?
The O’s have platoon depth at least for the short term to weather Mullin’s (hopefully minor) injury. It absolutely hurts as I imagine they he at least ends up on the IL even if just for precautions, but every team, every year has to deal with injuries. The biggest need for the O’s remains consistent starting pitching even though Wells was outstanding today. The last thing you want to do is have a guy not taking enough time to get well and end up missing even more time by reaggravating an injury.
As you rightly mention it isn’t all about the hard contact although it is my favorite thing to look at personally. Especially with shifts limited now Believe it or not players (even when they are kids) can instinctively aim for holes in a split second and sneak balls through the infield. Hitting the ball where they ain’t is a skill. When I was 14 my friend told me the first baseman was playing far off the bag and was a poor fielder. I subconsciously hit three balls right down the first base line on three pitches that day. I didn’t try to but it wasn’t a fluke either. Especially if you have speed. Some players can’t do it well though. Just look at all that space they leave some guys between the infield who can’t go the other way
Many things that people consider a fluke are really just hard things to sustain. It’s hard to be a big league pitcher for long if you only throw 91 because you can’t afford to lose anything. Hard to rely on ground balls when defensive players change. It’s hard to rely on spraying the ball around with shifting still a big thing (it’s easier this year tho). I heard Brian Kenny recently say a team should have such and such a record (their Pythagorean record) but that’s simply wrong. The real point is it’s not sustainable. It doesn’t mean it’s a fluke either tho. Same with BABIP. And obviously a player with a good FIP is gonna be more likely to sustain success but it doesn’t mean because they have a higher FIP than their era that it was a fluke. I’m done.lol. All the mistakes I see in thinking today (among the more robotic in the sabermetric “community”) are rooted in incorrect logic and philosophical bias.
Greg Maddux and Bronson Arroyo among others say hello. It’s about the same thing as real estate. Location, location, location. I have seen a lot of guys throwing 100 hit HARD.
If someone tells me this is a dumb post because it’s not about Cedric Mullins than I may flip out. Its irritating. I’m referencing an idea brought up by the article. It’s a baseball forum. I’ve been thinking about this lately because everyone keeps saying Bryce Elder is a fluke and a future no.5 starter. Just because he “only” strikes out 8 per 9 and relys on grounders. (Tim Hudson anyone?). Yeah, he’s not the best pitcher in the league but could be a solid no. 3 starter. I really just love devils advocate. And irritating people. If we were still relying on old school stats Id attack them too
Man I wish I had that info about hitting when I was 14… I could’ve made it big
This is one of the dumbest posts I’ve ever read on this site, and that’s saying something
It’s always the genius in the room that says something is dumb but doesn’t even specify what was dumb, why it was dumb, and what the “truth” is. Since you lack the mental capacity to actually respond in any detail I’ll address all of what I said. First-maybe you are saying it’s dumb that players actually can aim to hit a ball in a certain place. If so you have never played baseball or lacked any skill. If you are debating that things considered a fluke are really just things that are not likely to be sustained, it’s a matter of looking at statistical probabilities and case histories and adding ones philosophical biases onto the data. It’s also a loose example of “ad hoc propter hoc”. Attributing causes in retrospect just because something (a deterioration in performance) follows something else (a lowering of BABIP, for instance, when that could simply mean the player stopped hitting the ball well..examples abound). Depending on which you are saying is dumb I’m gonna say you either never were a decent baseball player (or simply don’t understand neurology and instinct-the fact that every second the brain performs millions of calculations so clearly a player can shoot a ball in a hole in a split second from instinct because they have played baseball and subconsciously know where the fielders tend to be)or you allow your bias to interpret what data means based on predetermined ideas of what constitutes a good player (high k rates, etc).
You spelled “relies” incorrectly. Also, what does this article have to do with Elder? There’s ANOTHER post about Bryce Elder. This ain’t it.
Once again, someone posting about a spelling error. I’m using a phone. Once again also, it’s a baseball forum. Who cares. There is actually a chain of ideas that are related to what was written in the article. Every article basically mentions why someone’s stats are a fluke or unsustainable or why they aren’t a fluke
Or if you disagree with Elder I would simply ask you…when has he ever not been good? He threw a complete game shutout last year and had a good era, whip, FIP, etc. And he still does. All this could’ve been avoided if you simply weren’t an as* and also if you elaborated on WHY my statement (and which frickin one-I mean I wrote an essay) was dumb
You are the type of reason why this website is a joke and why all sports message boards are jokes. This website is full of people who don’t understand how to think truly logically and say everyone they disagree with is dumb. Who seems smarter? The guy who says “that’s the dumbest post” without even saying why or the guy breaking down philosophical errors in logic? Calling me out like I’m some kind of fan who gets drunk and writes about his favorite team but doesn’t even know any stats but average, wins, HR, RBI, and era. Only in a sports message board would I ever be accused of writing “the dumbest post”. You may disagree with me but it’s not dumb. It’s thoroughly though out, rational, and also supported by personal experience. Every box checked. Bye
It’s easier just to block anyone who gets personal or writes about anything other than baseball.
You checked every box except the one labeled “brevity”, Rishi.
You’re posts are exhaustive and exhausting but they ain’t dumb.
Yeah. I agree. I was feeling too sick to do anything except write posts. I felt like I wrote too much and I did and regretted it because I know it’s annoying. It was already too much and he wrote it was dumb and admittedly I was offended and so continued being a wind bag.
Keep posting, Rishi. We can machete through to the good stuff.
Daz Cameron will give great defense, arm and speed but, he just doesn’t hit much unless the Os fixed him.
I feel ya, GHarris, I feel ya. Daz, IMO , is a realistic solution because of his speed and D.
Also, this FO is psychic. To me, picking up Deluzio made little sense. Then just like that, BAM, Cowser gets hurt and now Ced.
Hopefully we’re talking 10 day IL stat at most . Mullins has basically put up numbers less than 2021 but better than 2022 except taking a bunch of walks, which is great to see him do. They have enough depth to make a short absence pretty seamless.
But what remains abundantly clear if the Orioles are going to make a full season run at it they need starting pitching.