In every work space, there’s a person who has made themselves indispensable not by doing one thing flamboyantly, but by doing lots of little things really well and without fanfare.
It’s the woman who volunteers to take an extra shift, or the man who makes sure that everyone gets a birthday card or party or both. You never quite notice them in the moment, but when they’re gone, you bemoan their absence.
For Baltimore baseball fans, it’s Cedric Mullins. The Orioles center fielder has quietly, but certainly made himself necessary.
In the era of Rutschman and Henderson and Kjersted and Cowser, it’s Cedric Mullins who is the longest tenured Bird, having manned the middle of the Oriole Park outfield for most of the last seven seasons.
His career batting average of .253 is nothing to write home about, but with Mullins, it isn’t about the glossy. You’ll never see the soft-spoken Greensboro, NC native beat his chest or flip his bat.
But you’ll see him steal the key base or make the clutch catch or make sure to hit the cutoff man on a throw to the infield. He’ll do whatever he can to make the players around him better.
You know, the little stuff.
When the Orioles asked Mullins to move out of his leadoff spot in the batting order, he did so without a fuss, even though he’s the best candidate to do so.
When the team asked him to stop hitting from both sides of the plate and to concentrate on hitting only left-handed, he did, fully well knowing that it would effectively render him radioactive against left-handed pitchers.
So far, Mullins has been the clear highlight of what has been a slow start to the 2025 season, with his usual stellar defensive play combined with a home run touch which allows him to put a run on the board before many can find their seats.
Mullins can be a free agent at the end of the season. He and his agent have told the Baltimore Banner and the Athletic that he wants to stay here, the only big league team he has ever known, in the city where fans appreciate his keep-your-head down and get the job done approach.
But the club and specifically genius general manager Mike Elias seem cool to the prospect. Elias, who has built the club with youth, said last week that the Birds are interested in extending contracts.
If you read between the lines, that interest seems to apply to the shiny new players Elias has brought through the farm system, not guys like Mullins.
Mullins, who was here when the Orioles were baseball’s laughingstock a few years ago along with Trey Mancini, Austin Hays and Anthony Santander, is the only one left, as each of the others has either been dealt away or allowed to leave via free agency.
Santander and Hays have come back to town recently with their new teams, Toronto and Cincinnati, respectively and homered while visiting Camden Yards.
Let’s hope that doesn’t happen again. If so, someone should raise a fuss. You can be sure it won’t be Cedric Mullins.
And that’s how I see it for this week. You can reach us via email with your questions and comments at Sports at Large at gmail.com. And follow me on Threads, BlueSky and X at Sports at Large.
Until next week, for all of us here and for producer Lisa Morgan, I’m Milton Kent. Thanks for listening and enjoy the games.
