Saturday, August 02

Welcome to another edition of the Orioles Beat newsletter. The O’s are wrapping up their road trip in Anaheim this weekend before returning to Baltimore for a six-game homestand vs. the Twins and Nationals.

Cedric Mullins has always taken the time to recognize his mom, Sheila, on Mother’s Day -- and every other day of the year, for that matter.

“I don’t necessarily put any special day toward my mom, that’s how special she is to me,” Mullins said. “It’s a huge respect on my end just growing up under her and just the things that she’s gone through, challenges she went through raising three kids. Nothing but respect and love for my mom.”

Mother’s Day took on a new meaning for the Orioles’ center fielder in 2024, though.

Mullins’ wife, Erika, became a mom in December 2023, when she gave birth to the couple’s first child -- a daughter, Maliah.

Together, the 30-year-old Mullins and his wife have learned the challenges that come with parenthood. The offseasons have featured less sleep and more diaper changes. Erika’s days/nights are filled with taking care of Maliah, while Cedric has long days at the ballparks.

And that’s something Mullins doesn’t take for granted.

“Super important,” Mullins said. “Not too many people know what goes on behind the scenes, especially at the house. It’s a lot of work that goes into managing the house and making sure it’s a place that when I come home after a long day’s work, it’s just a peaceful environment and I’m able to relax because we get home late. 

“There’s a lot of things that even I might not be aware of of what she does that just helps out in the day to day.”

Mullins is looking forward to his wife’s second Mother’s Day on Sunday.

“Both of us are going through a new chapter in our lives with parenthood and for her to be able to take a step back and kind of see where she has gone over the years, just with our relationship and whatnot, it’s a very special moment for her,” Mullins said. “So try to make this one, or each one every year, as special as possible. But throughout the course of the year, I think we always look after our moms.”

Coby Mayo (Baltimore’s No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 11 overall) spent a lot of time in Minneapolis earlier this week working on his defense. The 23-year-old third baseman made two errors on Tuesday, then didn’t play in the field the rest of the series.

Before Thursday’s game, Mayo was the lone Orioles player fielding grounders. He chatted with third-base coach Tony Mansolino and Major League coach Buck Britton -- who both work with O’s infielders -- while going through multiple rounds of drills.

As Mayo came up through the Minors, his bat was his best tool. However, he understands the importance of playing well with the glove and has spent multiple seasons aiming to improve.

“I’m always working hard,” Mayo said. “The coaching staff does a really good job trying to put an emphasis just on defense, because if you can play really good defense in this game, you’re going to stick around for a while. 

“I think I’m a pretty good hitter, and I’d like to think that I can be a really, really good defender in this league, too, so just trying to balance out both and just be a complete really good player.”

It’s possible Mayo could be moved to first base in the future. But that isn’t likely to happen too soon, as Baltimore has Ryan Mountcastle and Ryan O’Hearn combining to take all of the starts at first this season.

On Tuesday, the Maryland Stadium Authority approved plans for a series of upgrades to Camden Yards for the 2026 season, most notably a new video board in center field. The display will be 2 1/2 times larger than the existing screen and will rank as the 12th largest among MLB ballparks.

The upgrades -- which will be constructed this offseason -- will also include a new display on the right-field wall and ribbon boards around both the club level and upper deck. There will be a unified control room as well.

More information on the upgrades can be read here.

• Jackson Holliday often chats with his dad, Matt, during the season, and a recent conversation featured a stance tweak leading to better offensive results for the 21-year-old. Read more >>
  
  
• Charlie Morton was candid while discussing his 2025 struggles and why he believes he can still get his season on track. Read more >>
  
  
• Which O’s prospect has closer potential? MLB Pipeline named one. Read more >>

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