Cedric Mullins gives Baltimore fans one more vintage performance
The 30-year-old center fielder made one of the finest catches of his career, sprinting ahead of a diving catch to deny Orlando Arcia extra bases in the third inning He followed that up by hitting his 100th career home run in Baltimore's 18-0 win over the Colorado Rockies.
'It's a crazy milestone,' said Mullins of becoming the third Oriole to reach 100 homers and 100 steals, joining Paul Blair and Brady Anderson. 'It's special. I'm going to take it in and enjoy the moment, but with the understanding I've got to get ready to play tomorrow.'
Five days before the trade deadline, it was the kind of night that recalled his best season, when he had 30 homers and 30 steals in 2021 while earning his lone All-Star appearance.
Mullins is eligible for free agency this fall. That could make him one of the easier players to deal for a Baltimore club that began Saturday nine games out of the final AL Wild Card spot. Saturday's performance just might remind another team what he has to offer beyond some lackluster 2025 numbers.
Mullins has 14 home runs but is batting .219 with a .297 on-base percentage with 45 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 87 games. His .706 OPS is only slightly below his career average.
'I don't know,' interim manager Tony Mansolino said pregame when asked why Mullins had never duplicated his 2021 level. 'We've seen him be the 30-30 guy for stretches. … For me, he's been searching for his swing here kind of off and on all year this year.'
The Orioles have already parted with relievers Bryan Baker and Gregory Soto this month. And Mullins is one of more than a half-dozen Baltimore players set to enter free agency this offseason. General Manager Mike Elias has said he's focused on getting returns for those players in particular, with the hope to return to playoff contention in 2026.
For Mullins, the idea this might be the last of his memorable Orioles performances felt hard to grasp.
'I don't know if it's quite hit me that way yet,' he said. 'I'm still focused on the day to day, trying to improve my game every single day. Battling through some struggles. … So I don't think it's gotten to that point.'
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Ian Nicholas Quillen, The Associated Press
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