Are the Orioles platooning Cedric Mullins?

We have seen recent games when Orioles switch-hitting center fielder Cedric Mullins didn't start against a left-handed pitcher. I certainly can understand the club's desire to both rest his cranky hip and/or use that time to get a look at John Andreoli.

But I also hope the organization hasn't yet made up it's mind that Mullins will have difficulty continuing to be a switch-hitter. While Mullins hit better in his career on the farm batting left-handed, he made nice strides this year from the right side, especially when he played for Double-A Bowie. Eastern League pitching is solid, and if he did it there he might be able to do it in the majors, too. He is just going to need the playing time to do so.

All 10 of Mullins' major league extra-base hits have come from the left side. In 71 plate appearances he is batting .297/.357/.547 with a .904 OPS. In 21 plate appearances batting right-handed he is hitting .176/.300/.176 with a .476 OPS. He is 3-for-17 with nine strikeouts.

During a recent interview, Mullins told me the club has hinted before that it could approach him about batting lefty only.

"It was more or less kind of brought to my attention that if there was not much improvement on the right side it could be a possibility," Mullins said.

Mullins' first year in full-season ball was 2016 with Single-A Delmarva. He hit .290 against right-handers and .217 versus left-handed pitching. In 2017 with Double-A Bowie he hit .293 versus righties and .208 against lefties.

But this year it was much different when he began the season with Bowie. Mullins hit .317/.373/.509 versus right-handed pitchers with the Baysox and hit .300/.317/.525 against lefties. He was good from both sides. But that success did not continue with a promotion to Triple-A Norfolk, where he batted just .220 versus lefties and .279 against right-handers.

What if it turns out that Mullins' success hitting lefties this year at Bowie was an outlier? On the other hand, can he tap into what worked for him there to hit lefties at the big league level?

My hope is that the Orioles' brass hasn't made up its mind yet and that Mullins gets some playing time against lefties in the remaining games. How he does in such a small sample might not prove much, but I think it's worth giving the kid a chance to get something going against lefties to take into the offseason. Maybe he won't succeed, but we know he won't if he doesn't get the chance.

And even on nights when Mullins takes an 0-for-4, he can still make an impact with his defense and speed. He could hit a 10-hopper to third and beat it out. He could drop a bunt. There are ways to help from the right side without driving the ball with authority.

Maybe the Orioles just look at it this way: They are using these games to determine if a player like Andreoli has any chance to be a part of the 2019 team and the remaining "looks" are obviously limited. I get that. We know Mullins will get a chance next year.

For me, despite Mullins stats on the farm batting right-handed in places like Delmarva and Norfolk and now in Baltimore, it's too soon to make a call on his switch-hitting in the future.

Listen to this: The anniversary of Cal Ripken Jr.'s 2,131st consecutive game was yesterday, and the MASN All Access Podcast used the occasion to produce a very interesting interview. The subject is Spiro Alafassos, who runs this very website and is the man who hired so many of us that work here. Alafassos in 1995 worked for Orioles public relations and led a group of dedicated staffers who put together the ceremonies surrounding the nights of 2,130 and 2,131.

As we saw then, those two nights could not have come off better. Click on the link in the tweet below to listen to some fascinating behind-the-scenes stories about how that all came together for two of the most special nights ever at any sports venue. Alafassos was behind every second of it, and if you've ever been in his office you would see the autographed picture from Ripken that pretty much says as much.

On this day 23 years ago, history was made.

Listen to the behind-the-scenes story of how 2131 came together: https://t.co/SRg2SYLC0v pic.twitter.com/jrmfChGyFY

-- Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) September 6, 2018