The September Call-Ups Have Begun!

September call-ups can be such a mixed bag. Occasionally, an organization's next great player does make their debut in the fall after knocking on the door all summer. More often, that player has broken down the door by July and become a vital part of the everyday lineup by the season's final month.

Cedric Mullins is not the type of transcendent player that a franchise will build around for a decade, but he seems to have a pretty good chance at being a solid regular in the big leagues for a long time. For the 2018 Orioles, in all likelihood, that is going to be the most exciting promotion of this season. Don't panic. That's OK!

Getting placed on the 40-man roster and then the MLB roster is based on a combination of things. What it is not always the result of is being one of the 40 best players in a team's organization. Does someone want to make the argument that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is NOT one of the Blue Jays 40 best players? Probably not. And yet, he is not on their 40-man roster. Why? Because the Blue Jays don't have to place him there yet, and they aren't in a position, as a team, where they are ready to compete.

Mullins had to be placed on the 40-man roster at some point this offseason to avoid being eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. The same will be the case for D.J. Stewart and Dillon Tate among others. That fact, coupled with Mullins's performance in Norfolk, forced the Orioles hand. That doesn't mean that Mullins wasn't ready for Baltimore. He was. But if he had another year before the Rule 5 problem reared it's head, he may have stayed an additional year down on the farm. If he's on the 40-man, the team may as well find out what he's got at the highest level.

Some of the Orioles very top prospects won't be up this season because it buys them time. Ryan Mountcastle and Yusniel Diaz won't be up because that would require putting them on the 40-man roster a year before the O's have any pressure to do so. Instead, we will see guys like Steve Wilkerson and Luis Ortiz. 

This is not a team in win-now mode. They need to learn about their players in a fashion that makes the most sense logistically. That's what they are doing. It's not always exciting, and sometimes it's frustrating, but in the end it is smarter than flooding the MLB roster with young standouts.

You can subscribe or listen to the podcast on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Podbean, TuneIn and a few other places as well. If you are into social media, we can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Wherever you go, give us a five-star review or a "Like". It helps us out a ton! Thanks for the support!