Batter’s Box: Mull of Kintyre

Photo by Daniel Kucin Jr./Icon Sportswire

Yesterday was the major league debut for Baltimore Orioles outfield prospect Cedric Mullins, and I don’t that it could’ve gone a whole lot better, as he went 3-4, 3 R, 2 RBI including a double and a walk. So who is Cedric Mullins? He’s the Orioles’ number nine prospect according to MLB Pipeline and he’s been nothing short of impressive in his professional career so far. Between Double- and Triple-A this season, Mullins was hitting .333 with 11 home runs and 21 steals. He’s got plus speed, and has some decent power, with good bat speed and barrel ability. He looks like a leadoff hitting centerfielder who could hit for double-digit home runs and steal 20 bases while hitting for a good average (of course, that’s his ceiling) and right now, the Orioles have absolutely no reason not to give him regular, everyday at-bats considering they’re the worst team in baseball right now. They need to see what their top prospects can do at the major league level, and I think Mullins is going to get that opportunity. If he’s unowned in a dynasty league, I’d grab him, and in deeper leagues, I’d keep a close eye on him. He’s got an intriguing skill set that could be very useful for fantasy purposes, and if he’s getting regular at-bats and continues to hit well, there could be some value here.

Let’s take a look at some of the other performances from yesterday’s games:

Mitch Moreland (1B, Boston Red Sox) – 2-5, 1 R, 1 RBI. Moreland’s been in a nasty slump lately, slashing .197/.254/.377 over the past month. They still seem to be giving him fairly consistent playing time, but keep an eye on it as I wouldn’t be shocked if Steve Pearce starts working his way into more starts if Moreland keeps playing poorly.

Xander Bogaerts (SS, Boston Red Sox) – 1-4, 1 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, 1 SB. Glad to see this kind of a game from Bogaerts who’s been struggling lately, slashing .230/.333/.446 over the past month. Nothing you can do but ride it out though.

Brock Holt (2B/SS/OF, Boston Red Sox) – 3-4, 1 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI. Nice game from Holt but there isn’t really much fantasy value here. Blame it on the Orioles.

Tim Beckham (SS/3B, Baltimore Orioles) – 2-6, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI. Beckham is quietly on a nice hot streak, slashing .280/.352/.505 over the past month. We’ve seen how hot Beckham can get in the past, this is worth riding out if you need some middle or corner infield help. He’s available in 91% of leagues.

Chris Davis (1B, Baltimore Orioles) – 2-4, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI. I know, Davis has been hitting a bunch of home runs lately, and yes he has a .233 ISO over the past month, but that comes with a .178 average. He’s still terrible.

Mark Trumbo (OF, Baltimore Orioles) – 3-5, 1 HR, 2 R, 1 RBI. In case you weren’t paying attention, Trumbo is slashing .322/.348/.517 over the past month. It’s worth noting that he’s got a career-high 41% hard-hit rate so far this year and his barrel rate is at 10.9%, the second-best since 2015, just behind his breakout 2016 season. Is this a hot streak? Perhaps somewhat, yea, especially the average. Trumbo has been pretty hot and cold all his career, but when he’s hot, he’s awesome, and we know he’s got great power. He’s worth a grab and is available in 70% of leagues.

Ronald Guzman (1B, Texas Rangers) – 3-5, 3 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI. Man, what a game from Guzman, but there’s really no fantasy value here. He’s slashing .206/.270/.441 over the past month.

Adrian Beltre (3B, Texas Rangers) – 2-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 4 RBI. Beltre has been fine this year, albeit somewhat disappointing. It seems like age is finally starting to catch up to the future Hall-of-Famer

Austin Romine (C, New York Yankees) – 3-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 SB. Nice stat sheet stuffing from Romine but he’s been pretty bad, slashing .228/.250/.351 over the past month and his playing time has been inconsistent.

Willy Adames (SS/2B, Tampa Bay Rays) – 3-3, 3 R, 1 SB. Adames has himself a nice little hot streak lately, slashing .326/.375/.512 over the past two weeks. He’s a top prospect with a lot of talent so keep an eye on this.

Matt Carpenter (1B/2B/3B, St. Louis Cardinals) – 1-5, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI. Fun fact, Matt Carpenter has a .543 ISO over the past month and that’s with a .340 average. That’s INSANE.

D.J. LeMahieu (2B, Colorado Rockies) – 2-4, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI. Good game from LeMahieu who has struggled since his return, slashing .216/.275/.324. I think you’ve gotta put him out there when he’s in Coors, but play your matchups with him until he heats up.

Kole Calhoun (OF, Los Angeles Angels) – 1-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI. Why don’t you own Kole Calhoun yet? How many time do I have to tell you to pick him up? Seriously though, he’s slashing .315/.392/.742 over the past month and is still available in 40% of leagues.