Every time Hayden Mullins takes the mound in Portland lately, it gets a little harder to feel bad about what the Boston Red Sox gave up in the Adley Rutschman trade on August 3.
Rutschman is back in Baltimore this weekend for the first time since that trade, which will likely be an emotional few days for him. His entire professional career, from the No. 1 overall pick in 2019 through his 2022 debut and three All-Star seasons, belonged to the Orioles until it suddenly didn't. That kind of homecoming is a good reminder of exactly how fast things change in this game.
It's also no secret around the industry that the return felt steep. Boston sent out Anthony Eyanson, its No. 2 prospect at the time, along with Kyson Witherspoon and Enddy Azocar, to rent the All-Star catcher through next season (unless there are extension talks on the table for this off-season). CBS Sports called it "a ton to surrender." All three have looked excellent in Baltimore's system since, which only makes the final verdict harder to call right now.
Red Sox pitching prospect Hayden Mullins is making sure the cupboard isn't bare
That's what makes Mullins' recent stretch feel so well-timed. Boston's current No. 27 prospect, per MLB.com, has quietly been the best pitcher in the entire system since the deadline. Across his last five starts, dating back to August 6, he's allowed one earned run or less every time out, capped by a six-inning shutout on September 2 with a career-high 10 strikeouts.
Since August 1, he's given up just three earned runs across 26⅓ innings, a 1.03 ERA, with 39 strikeouts against just nine walks, dropping his season ERA to 4.15. Command has always been the question mark capping his ceiling, with some evaluators viewing him as a fourth starter at best because of it. Over his last three outings, he's walked exactly one batter per start.
None of this erases the price Boston paid to upgrade behind the plate. Eyanson has been nearly untouchable in Baltimore's system, Witherspoon has turned things around and is dominating, and Azocar is hitting close to .360 since the trade. But while all of that plays out a few states away, Mullins is making his own case. He opened the year ranked 16th in this system, and this five-start tear has him trending right back in that direction.
If Portland gives him one or two more starts before the season wraps up, and he keeps pitching like this, it's easy to see him climbing back up the board just as fast as he fell down it, especially with some of the system's other arms now wearing Orioles uniforms. Red Sox fans may have forgot about him for a minute, but now he's trying to make that a lot harder to do.
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