Cedric Mullins' Timely Hitting Breakthrough! - footballivenews
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Cedric Mullins’ Timely Hitting Breakthrough!

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The 2024 season has been tough for Orioles outfielders offensively. Colton Cowser, 24, is batting just .229, Anthony Santander has found his power but is hitting only .227, and Austin Hays is at .241 with just two homers.

Cedric Mullins has struggled the most. The former All-Star and 30-30 club member has been the lineup’s weakest hitter, batting .193 with just 23 RBIs in 219 plate appearances. He has a 100-point OPS gap with the next worst hitter, Hays.

Manager Brandon Hyde has expressed support for Mullins during his slump, but some websites speculate he might be on his way out, with calls for the Orioles to bolster their outfield offense.

However, Mullins has shown signs of improvement recently, hitting .333 with a .400 OBP and an .844 OPS over the last week.

Mullins played a key role in the Orioles’ 7-6, ten-inning win over the Yankees last night. The team had built a 5-1 lead but allowed the Yankees to tie the game, sending it to extra innings. In the tenth, Mullins hit a single to score the ghost runner, then advanced to third and sped home on a distracted throw, providing the decisive run.

When Mullins is in form, he brings speed, power, and situational awareness to the team.

His recent success can be attributed to a high BABIP of .353 and other tangible factors. Mullins has been hitting against quality pitchers like Taj Bradley, Zack Littell, Ryan Pepiot, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo López, Ranger Suárez, Taijuan Walker, Zack Wheeler, Nestor Cortes, and Gerrit Cole from strong teams like Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and New York.

Mullins has improved his contact quality, substituting ground balls with line drives and increasing his hard-hit percentage. He’s also refined his approach, swinging at fewer

pitches outside the zone (O-Swing%) and fewer pitches overall (Z-Swing%), leading to more walks and fewer strikeouts.

Defensively, Mullins has been solid, maintaining enough value to be a positive-WAR player despite his offensive struggles (+0.3 WAR). BaseballSavant rates him with +3 Outs Above Average, placing him in the 87th percentile among fielders.

While a single week of improvement doesn’t guarantee a full turnaround, it’s a positive change from his prolonged slump. A revitalized Mullins would significantly benefit the Orioles, especially since there’s a notable dropoff in performance from the No. 9 slot in the lineup. As the team’s pitching stabilizes, enhanced run production from the bottom of the order would be advantageous.

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