Baltimore Orioles 2022 Report Card: Cedric Mullins

Birds Watcher’s report card series continues, this time featuring center fielder and 2021 AL All-Star, Cedric Mullins. Mullins made history with the first Oriole with a 30-30 season in 2021. How he performed in 2022?

As with previous report cards, our grading system for hitters is as follows: offense, defense, and a third category of our choosing.

Baltimore Orioles 2022 Report Card: Cedric Mullins

Offense: B

Regression was expected from 2021, but Mullins played well. He didn’tmatch his previous numbers: Mullins finished with a .258/.318/.403 slash line, 104 OPS+, 157 hits, 16 Home Runs, 64 RBI, and 89 Runs in 156 games (3.8 bWAR). He continued to display an innate ability to steal bases, swiping 34 which was second in the AL (one behind his teammate, Jorge Mateo).

Mullins xSLG (18th), xBA (24th), xwOBA (17th) and Barrel% (24th) dropped. Another problem was his performance against lefties, ending with just a .209 batting average and four home runs.

Defense: A

Mullins played a fantastic center field, as usual. He finished in the 96th percentile in Outs Above Average (9 OAA), 5 Defensive Runs Saved and didn’t commit a single error. He was a cornerstone and shows how valuable he is.

Mullins finished top-3 in AL Gold Glove voting for CF and performances like that show why he is a cornerstone outfielder and a valuable asset in a hypothetical trade.

WBC Player: A

Mullins was invited to represent Team USA for the World Baseball Classic, joining a stellar roster with names like Mookie Betts, Kyle Schwarber, Mike Trout and Kyle Tucker.

One reminder: in the last WBC, Team USA had the Orioles starting CF and one key member from bullpen (Mychal Givens) and history tells us who finished with the title. Good move.

Final GPA: 3.63

Besides his struggles, it was a very solid campaign by Mullins. He doesn't match his numbers from two years ago, but he remains a great contributor and a key member for the next competitive Orioles Team. Let's see what await us for 2023.