All That You Can't Leave Behind

Cedric Mullins still being on the Orioles, and still being valued, is fascinating to me. He dodged three different opportunities to be traded: as a prospect during the 2015-16 competitive runs, as a crucial piece of the team in the dark era from 2018 to early 2020s, and as a player on a team with so many other viable options from 2024 til now. So many players did not survive those specific points. So many players were either sold for parts or a part that was sold for someone big. That Means and Santander made it long enough to leave in free agency is pretty phenomenal too, but Mullins could have left at numerous points, and he's survived long enough to help this team still be great.

Right now, in his age 30 season, Mullins is hitting .300 through a week of play with 11 RBIs and 3 home runs. He could very easily let Rutschman, Westburg and Holliday run things but he's still an active, and important, part of this lineup. The fans still love him, the team still loves him, and even if there's this probability that he'll leave in free agency after the season, I think it's fantastic that he's persisted for long enough that he'll leave when he's no longer desperately needed. Or 'the Nanny McPhee tract', as it's called professionally. 

But at the same time, it's wild that Mullins is such a crucial figure, still, for the Orioles during a period of overflow for the team. There are multiple positions where there's a somewhat long line to get playing time. Coby Mayo is on the 40-man, but is behind both Jorge Mateo and Ramon Urias, as well as Jackson Holliday, on the depth chart. Getting Connor Norby out of the way helped, but now Holliday and Westburg are viable MLB IF options, and Henderson covering SS again will make the O's even less likely to consider bringing him in. It's similar for Heston Kjerstad, who's routinely done well in the minors but barely has any room to play in Baltimore. He's DHed mainly, and it hasn't gone very well for him because you get the sense he's being put into wherever there's room, and he feels he's above that. Dylan Carlson seems to getting more OF time than Kjerstad, and it says a lot when the Orioles have more spots for former Cardinals prospects than their own. 

It's not a problem for pitching prospects though. Rodriguez, Bradish, Wells, Suarez and Rogers are all hurt, Gibby and Poteet aren't ready yet, so you have Cade Povich and Tomoyuki Sugano starting games. It...could be going better for both of them. Honestly, with apologies to Charlie Morton and his 10 strikeouts today, really only Zach Eflin is doing what he's supposed to be doing in that rotation right now. So it's a double edged sword, either you're ready for the opportunity and there's no room, or there is room and it keeps getting exploited that you're not ready yet. 

Getting out, however, has its own plusses and minuses, as Kyle Stowers is finding out. The O's trading Stowers was...nearsighted but inevitable. Of all the prospects in the cards last year, Stowers had the biggest power upsides. But there was never any time to play him in the outfield, and he'd always struggle in the majors. You send him back down he'd hit .300 with 30 homers or whatever. So the Orioles sent him to Miami, which...basically that's a minor league team anyway. His clutch numbers have exploded. So far this season for the Marlins, he's responsible for a game-winning RBI, in addition to 3 others and a homer. With Jesus Sanchez hurt and Jonah Bride struggling, Stowers is the most trusted power hitter in Miami, which has got to be great.

Unfortunately, the downside of getting traded to a market where there are lots of opportunities to play is that...there are lots of opportunities to play. The best guys are elsewhere. You get to play everyday, but the team isn't great. People like Jonah Bride, Derek Hill, Nick Fortes and Dane Myers are playing everyday, because it beats sitting in a good team's triple-A. The hope is that Stowers, and Norby and all the others, can stick around long enough that they can be the stars, a lot like Brent Rooker in Oakland or Anthony Rizzo for the 2010s Cubs. 

And so far...the Marlins could be doing a lot worse. Runs are getting scored. The contact game is excellent, which is what happens when you start Otto Lopez, Dane Myers and Xavier Edwards every day. The pitching is surprisingly decent, even behind Sandy Alcantara, who you knew would be back in a big way. Max Meyer, Conor Gillispie and Valente Bellozo are making the most of their opportunities, and there's a chance Tyler Phillips could graduate back to starter and dethrone somebody like Cal Quantrill. People are gonna start coming back soon, Weathers and Cabrera and that ilk, and if they can make a good impression now and potentially keep a spot, that'll be a great opportunity. 

I don't think the Marlins' strong start will amount to full season greatness, but if enough people starting everyday can grow into something trustworthy it'll be a lot better than whatever the hell last year was. Maybe soon enough they'll be where the Orioles are now. Maybe then they'll pay. 

Coming Tomorrow- SPEAKING OF PLACES WITH LOTS OF PLAYING OPPORTUNITY...this guy lucked into a starting rotation spot, and instead of just taking the time he decided to make MLB history.