Behind Cedric Mullins’ Strong Hitting at Orioles Camp

Orioles OF Cedric Mullins is showing up at the plate in a big way this Spring

Outfielder Cedric Mullins has played notably well for the Baltimore Orioles during Grapefruit League games so far this year. In 21 plate appearances, Mullins is slashing .381 with an OPS of 1.000. However, this offensive outburst isn’t just happening by chance, nor is Mullins simply riding a hot streak. This kind of offense was just waiting to be unlocked.

Leading up to the Orioles’ Spring Training opener on February 28th versus the Pittsburgh Pirates, Mullins announced that he would no longer be switch-hitting going forward, focusing specifically on batting from the left side. This comes after 111 career plate appearances from the right side against left-handed pitchers, holding an OPS of .439 in those matchups.

A report from Dan Connolly of The Athletic shared several quotes from Mullins regarding the switch:

"“It was getting difficult to try and create two different swings,”“I know my left side is my natural side, so trying to develop my right-handed swing at the highest level, it was challenging. And I tried to do the best I can to see if it could develop quicker. It just didn’t work out that way. So, I feel like going left-on-left was the best decision.”"

Across the board, Cedric Mullins is the team’s leading at-bats getter, which has translated into topping the Orioles’ leaderboards for hits, doubles, and triples so far this Spring. Mullins has struck out just three times in his 21 plate appearances. However, Mullins has yet to record a walk.