2025 Fantasy Baseball: Cedric Mullins Profile, Preview, Predictions
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The leadoff luster for Cedric Mullins left the building over the past two seasons. His power/speed combination can help teams in deep formats.
CEDRIC MULLINS HOME RUN! TIE BALLGAME pic.twitter.com/7NbHQI9Dxu
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 2, 2024
OF – Cedric Mullins, BAL (ADP – 207.9)
In 2023, Mullins’ bat lost value vs. lefties (.233) and righties (.233) while spending two lengthy stints on the injured list with a groin injury. Over his first 48 games, Mullins hit .283 with 24 runs, eight home runs, 39 RBIs, and 13 steals over 177 at-bats, putting on pace for a 25/40 type year with 550 at-bats. His walk rate (11.8) and strikeout rate (16.3) over this stretch showed top-of-the-order success. Mullins was a lost soul over his final 153 at-bats (.190/18/6/27/5 with eight walks and 43 strikeouts). His one bright spot was his success with runners on base (RBI rate – 22).
Baltimore had Mullins in their starting lineup for 121 of his 147 games in 2024. Despite hitting .219 in April, he had his most productive month in runs (17), home runs (6), and RBIs (17). The Orioles gave him fewer than 85 plate appearances over the next four months (.224/37/7/24/19 over 264 at-bats). Mullins played better in September (.286 over 84 at-bats with 15 runs, five home runs, 13 RBIs, and seven stolen bases). His regression in playing time came from struggles vs. left-handed pitching (.196 over 97 at-bats with 12 runs, one home run, three RBIs, and two steals).
He repeated his high fly-ball swing path (48.8%) with a slight bump in his HR/FB rate (10.7). Mullins lost momentum in his exit velocity (87.1 mph) and hard-hit rate (32.7). Baltimore hit him sixth or below in the lineup for 87.6% of his at-bats.
Fantasy Outlook: Based on his home runs (18) and stolen bases (32) last season (65th in FPGscore – 0.24), Mullins still can help fantasy teams. His approach (strikeout rate – 19.6 and walk rate – 8.2) aligned with his career path. Unfortunately, his lower slot in the batting order and questionable opportunity against lefties point to repeated weakness in at-bats. Mullins is a contract year with a fading contact batting average (.301). His 15/30 season is repeatable, but the rest falls into a wild card area.
RANKINGS
Top 5 Catchers | Catchers 6-10 | Catchers 11-15
Top 5 First Basemen | First Basemen 6-10 | First Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Second Basemen | Second Basemen 6-10 | Second Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Shortstops | Shortstops 6-10 | Shortstops 11-15
Top 5 Third Basemen | Third Basemen 6-10 | Third Basemen 11-15
With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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