The Baltimore Orioles are struggling through April but the bat of their veteran centerfielder has sparked life within the Orioles lineup. Manager Brandon Hyde has been rotating the lineup through the start of the season but Cedric Mullins has been a steady hand in the lineup for the O’s skipper.

Mullins has begun the season as the best hitter in the Baltimore lineup, smashing 4 home runs on the young season while driving in a team-leading 18 RBIs. Those 18 RBIs are also good for third in the American League, behind Aaron Judge (22) and Tyler Soderstrom (19).

Despite a rough spring, Mullins was able to bounce back during the beginning of the season, launching two pitches out of the yard in Toronto in the opener.

Mullins’ performance with the bat has helped the Orioles’ offense stay afloat during the tumultuous start to the season that has seen them fall to last place in the American League East.

The Orioles offense has been one of the bright spots in the season thus far, while the starting pitching has struggled to find their footing during the start of the season.

Mullins has been on a tear for the Orioles, hitting .288 on the season while leading the team in Triple Crown stats.

Following a spring that saw Mullins struggle to find a groove, when the games began to matter Mullins was able to flip a switch.

He’s gone on a tear that has solidified any possibility of being moved into a platoon role in the Orioles outfield. Mullins has flipped a switch back to his All-Star season in 2021 which saw him smash 30 home runs and lead the Orioles with a .291 batting average.

Mullins hot streak continues as Orioles fall to the Reds 8-3

The Orioles’ rough start continued as the Reds topped them on Friday night at Camden Yards. Mullins continued to tear through opposing pitching, however.

In the second inning he launched a fastball from Andrew Abbott over the right field wall to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead.

The Orioles centerfielder would be kept silent for the remainder of the game but continued on his hot start in his first at-bat.

Striking out just once during the game but with a 17.1 strikeout percentage on the season, Mullins is striking out less than he has over his entire career.

Mullins has a career strikeout percentage of 19.7 and the two percent decrease in his strikeouts will lead the veteran to be an even more reliable bat in the Orioles lineup.

Mullins is on a tear right now and is showing no signs of slowing down. If the Orioles get right with the rest of the roster, Mullins performance would only increase as the season continues on. Mullins is certainly an early leader for the teams “Most Valuable Oriole” Award.