Cedric Mullins Bio
Boyce Cedric Mullins II, known professionally as Cedric Mullins, is an American professional baseball center fielder for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Mets. Mullins first reached the major leagues in 2018 with the Orioles, and in 2021 he was named an All-Star, won a Silver Slugger Award, and became the first Baltimore player to join the 30–30 club since the franchise relocated from St. Louis. Over the course of his career, he has been recognized for his combination of speed, power, and defense in center field.
A native of Snellville, Georgia, Mullins played college baseball at Louisburg College and Campbell University before being selected by Baltimore in the 2015 MLB draft. He has built a reputation as a switch-hitter who later committed full-time to the left side of the plate, and his game is anchored by plate discipline, base running, and reliable outfield play.
Early Life and Background
Cedric Mullins was born on October 1, 1994, in Snellville, Georgia, in the metropolitan area east of Atlanta. He attended Brookwood High School, where he played baseball and developed the athletic foundation that would later carry him to the professional ranks.
After high school, Mullins began his college career at Louisburg College, a two-year program in North Carolina. He posted a perfect 4.0 grade point average and graduated Summa Cum Laude with an Associate of Arts in 2014, demonstrating a strong commitment to academics alongside his athletic pursuits. He later transferred to Campbell University, where he spent one season as a letterman with the Campbell Fighting Camels in 2015. At Campbell, he led the team in batting average (.340), runs scored (59), hits (80), doubles (23), and triples (7), and he also played summer baseball in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League for the Utica Blue Sox.
Path to Baseball
Mullins’s professional path began when the Baltimore Orioles selected him in the 13th round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft. He made his professional debut that same year with the Low-A Aberdeen IronBirds, batting .264 with two home runs and 32 RBIs in 68 games. The assignment gave the young outfielder his first taste of a full professional schedule and allowed him to adjust to the daily demands of minor league baseball.
He spent 2016 with the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds, where he batted .273 with 14 home runs, 55 RBIs, and 30 stolen bases in 124 games, showing a balance of power and speed. In 2017, he advanced to the Double-A Bowie Baysox and hit .265 with 13 home runs, 37 RBIs, and a .778 OPS in 76 games. He began 2018 back at Bowie before earning a midseason promotion to the Triple-A Norfolk Tides, putting him on the doorstep of the major leagues. Along the way, he earned the nickname “Parking Lot Ced” for the home runs he hit that cleared the ballpark entirely.
Cedric Mullins Career
Early Career (2018–2020)
The Orioles promoted Mullins to the major leagues on August 10, 2018, and he made his MLB debut that same night, collecting three hits, two RBI, drawing a walk, and scoring three runs in a 19–12 loss to the Boston Red Sox. He became the first Oriole in franchise history to record three hits in his major league debut, and just the fifth player in MLB history to score three or more runs while collecting two or more extra-base hits in his debut, joining the company of Joey Gallo, J. P. Arencibia, Craig Wilson, and Hall of Famer Willie McCovey. He finished his first major league season with a .235 batting average and four home runs across 45 games.
Mullins began the 2019 season as Baltimore’s starting center fielder, but after a slow start he was demoted to Triple-A Norfolk on April 22, 2019. Continued struggles led to another demotion, this time to Double-A Bowie on July 10, where he played out the remainder of the year despite Orioles manager Brandon Hyde’s continued confidence in his ability. He returned to Baltimore’s opening day roster in 2020, and in the COVID-shortened season he hit .271/.315/.407 with three home runs, 12 RBI, and seven stolen bases, signaling his readiness for a larger role.
Baltimore Orioles Breakthrough (2021–2024)
In February 2021, the Orioles announced that Mullins would give up switch-hitting and bat exclusively from the left side, a move he had first proposed in 2019. The change paid off quickly, and on April 26, 2021, he recorded his first career multi-home run game against the New York Yankees. From June 4 through June 6, he collected nine hits in as many at bats, including three home runs, and on July 4 he was named an All-Star for the first time. He was later chosen as the starting center fielder in the 2021 All-Star Game as a replacement for the injured Mike Trout.
On September 24, 2021, Mullins became the first Orioles player to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a season since the franchise moved from St. Louis, completing a historic 30–30 campaign. For the season, he slashed .291/.360/.518 with 30 home runs, 59 RBI, 37 doubles, and 30 stolen bases, while leading all major league outfielders with 389 putouts. He was unanimously voted the Most Valuable Oriole by the local media, finished ninth in the American League MVP balloting, and on November 11, 2021, received his first Silver Slugger Award.
Mullins continued to produce in 2022, highlighted by his first career grand slam on April 12 off Milwaukee’s Eric Lauer, and he finished the year slashing .258/.318/.403 with 16 home runs, 64 RBI, and 34 stolen bases while posting a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in center field. In 2023, he became the seventh player in Orioles history to hit for the cycle, doing so on May 12 in a 6–3 home victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he later delivered key late-inning home runs against the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros. On April 17, 2024, he hit his first career walk-off home run against the Minnesota Twins, and on July 14 he delivered a walk-off double against the New York Yankees to end a five-game losing streak heading into the All-Star break. He finished 2024 slashing .234/.305/.405 with 18 home runs, 54 RBI, and 32 stolen bases, and he hit a solo home run in the American League Wild Card Series against the Kansas City Royals.
Tampa Bay Rays Era (2025–Present)
On July 31, 2025, the Orioles traded Mullins to the New York Mets in exchange for Raimon Gómez, Anthony Nunez, and Chandler Marsh. In 42 appearances for the Mets, he slashed .182/.284/.281 with two home runs, 10 RBI, eight stolen bases, and a .565 OPS. Earlier in the 2025 season, on July 26, he had hit his 100th career home run in an 18–0 win over the Colorado Rockies, becoming the third Oriole in franchise history with 100 home runs and 100 stolen bases, joining Brady Anderson and Paul Blair.
On December 6, 2025, Mullins signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Tampa Bay Rays, beginning a new chapter of his career. The move to Tampa Bay paired him with an organization in the midst of a rebuild, offering him a chance to serve as a veteran presence in center field and at the top of the lineup. He joined the Rays looking to reestablish the on-base and power-speed profile that had defined his 2021 breakthrough season.
Driving Style and Strengths
Mullins is known for his plate discipline, his ability to work counts, and his impact on the base paths, where his speed turns walks and singles into scoring opportunities. After committing full-time to hitting left-handed in 2021, he found a more repeatable swing and unlocked the power that carried him to a 30–30 season. Defensively, he reads the ball well in center field and pairs range with reliable routes, and his 389 putouts in 2021 underscored his value as an above-average defender.
Notable Events and Milestones
Signature moments include his three-hit MLB debut in 2018, his selection as a 2021 All-Star starter, and his place in Orioles history as the first player since the franchise’s move from St. Louis to join the 30–30 club. He also recorded the first walk-off home run of his career in 2024, hit for the cycle in 2023, and in 2025 joined Brady Anderson and Paul Blair as the only Orioles with at least 100 career home runs and 100 career stolen bases.
Cedric Mullins Career Wins
Cedric Mullins has built a résumé highlighted by one All-Star selection, one Silver Slugger Award, and membership in the 30–30 club, all earned during a 2021 campaign that established him as one of the American League’s most productive center fielders.
MLB Highlights
Across his major league career, Mullins’s most celebrated season came in 2021, when he slashed .291/.360/.518 with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases, won a Silver Slugger Award, and was voted Most Valuable Oriole. He added to his milestone list in 2025 by hitting his 100th career home run and joining the 100–100 club in Orioles history.
Other Performances
In the minor leagues, Mullins batted .273 with 14 home runs and 30 stolen bases for Delmarva in 2016 and posted a .778 OPS for Double-A Bowie in 2017, foreshadowing his major league blend of power and speed. He also represented the United States at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, playing in five games and batting .200/.200/.700 with a home run, a triple, and two RBI.
Cedric Mullins Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public details about Cedric Mullins’s parents and broader family background are limited, and he has not publicly emphasized a long family lineage in baseball. He has, however, spoken about the influence of the anime series Naruto during his childhood, an interest that has carried into his professional career and offered motivation through difficult stretches.
Personal Life
Mullins married his longtime girlfriend, Erika Hardy, in November 2022. The couple welcomed a daughter in December 2023, and they also have a dog named Lilo. Mullins earned a degree in business administration from Campbell University and has expressed an interest in marketing and mathematics, noting that he might have pursued engineering had he not played professional baseball.
2025 Season Performance
Mullins opened 2025 with the Baltimore Orioles and served as the everyday center fielder during the first half of the season. On July 26, 2025, he hit his 100th career home run in an 18–0 win over the Colorado Rockies, a milestone that placed him alongside Brady Anderson and Paul Blair in Orioles history. In 91 games with Baltimore, he batted .229/.305/.443 with 15 home runs, 49 RBI, and 14 stolen bases.
On July 31, 2025, the Orioles traded him to the New York Mets, and he finished the year in New York, appearing in 42 games and slashing .182/.284/.281 with two home runs, 10 RBI, and eight stolen bases. Despite the offensive dip in Queens, his speed and defensive reads continued to play in a part-time role.
Looking ahead, Mullins signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Tampa Bay Rays in December 2025, positioning him for a bounce-back season in 2026. The Rays offered a clearer everyday opportunity in center field, and a return to the left-handed, line-drive approach that powered his 2021 breakout is the central storyline surrounding his upcoming campaign.