Long before Cedric Mullins became the Orioles' center fielder of the future — let alone the first in what they hope is a wave of blossoming young talent to join a team that desperately needs it — there was an exchange that stuck with the dynamic, then-junior college outfielder.
"I want to give you a shot," Orioles scout Rich Morales told him.
"That's all I want," the switch-hitting Mullins said.
As Mullins, 23, recalled that conversation last spring with Double-A Bowie, where he was on a tear that made the major league call he received Friday seem imminent before a severe hamstring injury wrecked that chance a year ago, he was fulfilling all the promise of a defensive center fielder who could impact every phase of the game — and had proven it at every level.