Cedric Mullins Started His First All-Star Game & This Won’t Be His Last

Cedric Mullins Started His First All-Star Game & This Won’t Be His Last

by | Jul 14, 2021 | CLEAN UP

Three years ago, Cedric Mullins made his MLB debut with the Baltimore Orioles. Fast forward to the 2021 season and our MLBbro is an MLB All-Star.

And what made things better is that Mullins made the start in centerfield during his first All-Star game as well. He went 0-2 , but he did score a run to help the AL win 5-2.

You couldn’t ask for anything better. He replaced LA Angels outfielder Mike Trout, who has been injured for the majority of the season.

 

 

Mullins has resurrected into one of the top players in the league this season and he has quickly become a fan favorite, not only in Baltimore but throughout the whole league.

His stats are far beyond impressive. This brother has been putting in work and it has definitely shown. He leads all outfielders in the American League in slugging percentage, extra-base hits, steals and FanGraphs version of Wins Above Replacement.

Mullins has hit 16 home runs already which is more than he hit in his first three seasons combined.

Through 88 games, he’s hitting .314 with a .541 slugging percentage. He also has 16 stolen bases and 35 RBI.

Mullins can do it all at the plate, from hitting for power to dropping a bunt down the first or third baseline.

He’s been a hitter that opposing pitchers have had problems with. Not only can he get it done at the plate, but he also can track the ball down with the best of them in the outfield.

The Orioles have certainly been impressed with Mullins’ performance this season.

 

 

“He is very quickly becoming a face of the franchise kind of player for us,” Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias told The Baltimore Sun. “He’s been one of the best players in baseball in the first half. He’s possibly the best center fielder outside of Trout in the American League, and he’s possibly the best defensive center fielder in the American League. So, 26 years old, homegrown, it’s a very special thing.”

He has definitely noticed his hard work paying off for Mullins, and he knows he’s not done yet.

“It’s good to be able to reflect on those moments and know that I’ve grown and matured as a player,” Mullins said. “It’s just a matter of continuing to progress from here. It feels like I’ve hit a sort of peak, but I’m trying to see if I can continue to push that limit.”

At the start of the season, Mullins quickly made a name for himself. He started the season on an 11-game hitting streak.

Yes, that’s right, 11 straight games with a hit. He was on fire during that stretch and he was the talk of the league. 

In his third game of the season, he had an amazing performance at the plate going 5-for-5 with three doubles and three runs scored.

He continued to swing a hot stick throughout April, finishing the month with a .337 batting average. 

And Mullins did not slow down after that. He had an impressive June where he hit .380 with a .720 slugging percentage.

So you see why he was selected to the All-Star team this year and if he continues to play like he’s been playing, he will go home with some hardware at the end of the season.