More on Silver Sluggers and the outrighted Orioles

Did anyone really predict before the season that Cedric Mullins would be a finalist for a Silver Slugger Award?

If you were told that one Oriole would be honored, would you have chosen Trey Mancini, Anthony Santander or Ryan Mountcastle ahead of Mullins?

I don't know what's left to say about the guy who decided to bat only from the left side.

Mullins was the easy choice as Most Valuable Oriole and no one in the media ventured outside the box and denied him a first-place vote. He's going to show up on Most Valuable Player ballots in the American League. He's a finalist for the Major League Baseball Players Association's Comeback Player of the Year.

And now this, his attempt to be the first Orioles player to win a Silver Slugger since Mark Trumbo in 2016.

Winners will be announced at 6 p.m. on Nov. 11 on MLB Network.

Mullins had 72 extra-base hits to lead the competition, which also surprises. Kyle Tucker had 70, Mitch Haniger and Hunter Renfroe 64, Aaron Judge 63, Teoscar Hernández 61, Randy Arozarena 55 and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 51.

Those five triples came in handy.

Mullins faded down the stretch and batted .220/.315/.459 in September/October, but he also had six doubles, a triple and six home runs. And his body of work couldn't be bruised.

He was sensational and the industry noticed.

Each team receives four votes for the Silver Slugger - the manager and three coaches of his choice. Votes are based on a combination of offensive statistics that include average, total bases, OPS, OPS+, home runs and RBIs.

The managers and coaches also try to determine a player's offensive value beyond the numbers. They can't choose anyone on their own team.

As expected, the Orioles didn't have a candidate at any other position. The AL first basemen are Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Yuli Gurriel and Matt Olson. The designated hitters are Shohei Ohtani, Yordan Alvarez, Giancarlo Stanton, Joey Gallo and Nelson Cruz.

Gallo was a designated hitter in only 14 games this season.

Manny Machado never won a Silver Slugger with the Orioles, the honor arriving in 2020 with the Padres.

Here's the list of Orioles Silver Slugger winners:

1983: Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr.
1984: Murray and Ripken
1985: Ripken
1986: Ripken
1989: Ripken and Mickey Tettleton
1991: Ripken
1993: Ripken
1994: Ripken
1996: Roberto Alomar
1998: Rafael Palmeiro
2004: Miguel Tejada and Melvin Mora
2005: Tejada
2008: Aubrey Huff
2013: Chris Davis, J.J. Hardy and Adam Jones
2016: Mark Trumbo

Trumbo and Huff won as designated hitters.

* Here's more on the players outrighted over the weekend.

Catcher Austin Wynns, infielder Pat Valaika and pitchers Thomas Eshelman and Konner Wade elected free agency after clearing outright waivers.

The players had previous designations and could decline outright assignments.

Of course, they're going to test free agency. And it's possible that the door swings open again and the Orioles try to retain a few on minor league deals.

Could all of them stay in the organization? There are no rules against it, but I don't see it happening.

I'll set the over/under at one.

The 40-man roster is down to 35 players and more subtractions are coming.