Cedric Mullins has had a down season by his standards at the plate, but he continues to contribute in other ways and lead this Baltimore Orioles team that is fighting neck and neck with the NY Yankees for first place in the American League East.
“Rolls Royce” Lewis is off to the greatest start at the plate in the 123-year history of the Minnesota Twins franchise. Since returning from injury two weeks ago, he has been the best hitter in the Majors, posting a .429/.529/1.000 slash line with five home runs and seven RBI over his last seven games to claim the top spot on Week 12 of our #HighFive list.
It is a tragedy the 2017 first overall pick has only suited up in a Twins uniform for 85 games since debuting in 2022 thanks to a handful of injuries. Similar to their superstar Byron Buxton, who also has had trouble staying on the field, Lewis is a five-tool MVP candidate every time he steps out of the dugout; the only difference is Lewis has a higher ceiling.
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Lewis hit the 26th home run of his career Wednesday night, which is the most through the first 85 games in Twins history and eight more than the next closest player. “I do not do that slump thing,” Lewis told reporters postgame Wednesday after collecting an 0-for-5 Tuesday. “That is not a real thing for me. Everyday is a fresh start.”
Hunter Greene was all gas no breaks in his pitching duel versus the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday night.
He earned the two spot on the #HighFive list after going 6.1 shutout innings and striking out nine without walking anyone. The start was the 10th time this season Greene has had more than 15 whiffs (swings and misses) in a start, which leads the Majors, while his 98 strikeouts rank seventh in the National League.
He will take on the Pirates again next Tuesday night, this time in front of the Cincinnati faithful.
Giancarlo Stanton is the biggest X-Factor in the Yankees lineup and has played well since June began.
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This week he slashed .346/.414/.577 with two home runs, seven RBI while compiling a seven-game hitting streak. He has been one of the best hitters in the Majors with runners in scoring position this season and proved so with two big hits Wednesday against the Orioles.
First, with the Yankees down four he launched his 18th homer of the year — a three-run shot in the bottom of the seventh to make it a one-run game. Then, in the ninth with one out and a runner on second, Stanton singled in the tying run.
Thanks to being in a market as low on the totem pole as Cleveland is, Josh Naylor may not get the start at first base in the All-Star Game he rightfully deserves, but as long as he keeps mashing it at the plate, he will find his way to Arlington come July.
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After a great start to the year Naylor struggled in May, hitting just .186 despite launching eight home runs. However Naylor has fought his way out of the slump, hitting .360 with a .448 on base percentage and two home runs over his last seven games. Both those homers came Wednesday night in a win over the Seattle Mariners. “When you see a swing like that, it is one that deserves to be in Texas, it can change games,” said Josh’s brother Bo Naylor when asked to campaign him for the All-Star Game.
Similar to Giancarlo Stanton, Cedric Mullins is the X-Factor that will decide the ultimate success of the Baltimore Orioles this season.
Mullins, who hit his first home run since April 26th Thursday afternoon, is hitting .292 with three RBI and two steals in his last seven games.
In Wednesday’s extra inning victory over the Yankees, Mullins put his skill set on full display in the 10th inning.
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Not only did he drive in what would end up being the game-winning run, he also stole third and caused a wild throw into the outfield to add on another. “That is what he can do when he gets on base,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said postgame when speaking on Mullins.
“He gets a single, a lot of times it is a double. If he gets a double, he gets an opportunity to take third. There is a lot he can do on the bases for us.”
The Baltimore Orioles are coming off an impressive 2023 season, winning the AL East. It was the first time Baltimore made the postseason since 2016. Even though the Orioles lost to the Texas Rangers 3-0 in the Division Series, it was a step in the right direction for the franchise.
This season, the team is picking up where it left off. Through the first full month of the season, Baltimore is one of the top teams in the league, and Cedric Mullins is ready to help his team make another run at the postseason.
Earlier this week, MLB.com released their power rankings and the Orioles were number two on the list.
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Baltimore has become the team to beat in the AL East and Mullins has played a vital role in the team’s success. Since the 2021 season, Mullins’ numbers have dropped, but the 2021 All-Star still has provided value to his team, both at the plate and on the field.
Baseball is a difficult game and not too many players have success playing this sport. You can have a good season one year and struggle the next two.
A key attribute to have in playing this game is confidence. And for Mullins, he has the utmost confidence in himself that he can have a productive 2024 season.
Through 28 games, he is hitting .217 with six home runs, 17 RBI, and six stolen bases.
Three years ago, he had the best season of his career as he hit .291 with 30 homers and 30 stolen bases. Last season, Mullins dealt with numerous injuries but still managed to appear in over 110 games and play during the postseason.
Despite the injuries and struggles the last few seasons, Mullins wants to continue to focus on how he can make an impact on his team.
“I try to not be too hard on myself and I know I always put my best foot forward every single day,” Mullins told Steve Melewski of MASN. “It’s a matter of learning how I can almost compete with myself in a sense. Like taking 2021, really studying how that year went and how I was able to go about that season and really come to terms with OK, ‘This is what I was doing, how do I get back to doing that?’
“One of the main focuses was like, using the whole field. I got a little pull happy. The dimensions of the field were a little scary for guys (when left field was moved back). Kind of made you adjust in certain ways that may not have benefitted certain people, me being one of them. So, continuing to stay focused on using the whole field and being disciplined at the plate. Being the table setter – that has always been my goal. I feel like when I have that focus, I can help the team in a big way.”
At the plate, Mullins sets the tone as a leadoff hitter, and he can change the momentum of the game with one swing of the bat. That’s how much value he adds to this Orioles team offensively.
And on the defensive side, he’s one of the best in the game. The big thing for Mullins is staying healthy and a healthy Mullins could potentially have another 30-30 season.
“I’m sure there are plenty of people that wouldn’t believe I did that (30-30) in the first place,” he said. “So, kind of take that and for people who don’t think I can do it again, pretty sure they didn’t think I could the first time. That is what it is. I know I have the ability to do it and I know I have the ability to do it again.”
Mullins will look to turn things around at the plate and look to help keep the Orioles at the top of the AL East standings.
On Monday as the first full month of the 2024 season nears closing, MLB.com released another rendition of its weekly power rankings. Naturally, the rankings are opinionated and will change throughout the year based on the source, but it’s always fun to take a deep dive into these things.
5. New York Yankees
Over their last seven games, Yankees captain Aaron Judge has finally given the Bronx faithful a glimpse of what they hope will be a fruitful partnership with outfielder Juan Soto. J
Judge has begun to heat up at the plate, slashing .294/.424/.667 with three home runs, seven RBI and five walks for New York.
Marcus Stroman has continued to be strong for the Yankees, posting a 2-1 record with a 3.69 ERA and an impressive 58.4 percent ground ball rate.
4. Cleveland Guardians
Josh Naylor and the Guardians have been one of the best teams in the American League thus far, and young Josh Naylor has been a major contributor to their success on offense. A mainstay at the heart of their lineup, the lefty has provided power for the Guardians’ cleanup spot while also sporting an impressive K percentage of 11.4 percent.
The Dodgers have never been a stranger to headlines, and despite causing a different type of hysteria the on-court product has been as advertised. The Dodgers have built the largest early lead of any division leader, and Mookie Betts has been so good at the plate it sometimes slips your mind that he is playing a new position full-time.
Betts currently has an OPS+ of 162 and looks like an early front-runner for National League MVP.
Baltimore came into this season with tremendous expectations, and while they’re still waiting for their star prospect to shine, Cedric Mullins and the big-league club have continued to show why they are one of the most exciting young teams in all of baseball.
Mullins is still looking to find his groove at the plate, but has already turned in an early contender for Catch of the Year. Perhaps this is the year Mullins can finally snag his first Gold Glove Award.
Atlanta has come back from a disappointing divisional round loss last season to once again position themselves as frontrunners for the National League Pennant. The Braves’ offseason additions to the pitching staff have come in handy with the loss of their ace Spenser Strider for the season, but once again it’s their offense that is making the most noise.
Michael Harris II and the Braves offense once again lead all of MLB in run differential, and Harris himself is slashing .315/.351/.823 headed into Monday night, a complete 180 from the slow start he had last season.
It was one of the best catches of the season to date and it wouldn’t be a stretch if some called it the best catch, they had ever seen.
Baltimore Orioles center fielder, Cedric Mullins, displayed his All-Star form with a miraculous diving catch covering 70 yards deep into left-center field, midway through the first inning on Jackie Robinson Day. Mullins wore the No.42 in style and paid the ultimate respect to the legend.
Mullins expressed his thoughts on his incredible catch:
“It was an all-out effort, It was one of those balls where you really don’t know until you get there. I knew I had a slight possibility so I’m going right for it.”
He got Minnesota Twins catcher Kyle Farmer out on the play in what would have been at least a double. Mullins was also impactful at the plate.
Mullins, 29, showed why he’s a former Silver Slugger award recipient and a member of the 30-30 club by driving in three runs, along with a homer in the fifth in the Orioles’ 7-4 victory over the Twins, which improved the 2023 AL East champions record to 10-6, good for second in the division, behind the red-hot New York Yankees. Both teams are 6-4 in the last 10 games.
Orioles pitcher Cole Irvin was in disbelief. Just look at his reaction.
“I didn’t think there was a chance he was going to catch it,” Irvin said.
That catch helped save Irvin’s night and spoil the Twins’ momentum early as there was a runner on third.
This is a great sign for the Orioles, as Mullins struggled to find his 2022 consistency last season. He battled a groin injury, hitting just .233 and 15 homer runs in 116 games– his lowest in a full season.
However, this year is a redemption season for Mullins who has three Bro Bombs, 11 runs, 10 RBIs, and 12 hits in 46 bat appearances for a batting average of .265.
“Cedric is a really, really important part of our team,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “He’s played great centerfield defense and I love the way he’s swinging the bat the last week. It was a huge spark offensively also.”
That’s the effort that will continue to help the Orioles win games and the kind you want to see from your starting center fielder who showed out on Jackie Robinson day.
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