Cullen ends AFL regular season with a bang
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MESA, Ariz. -- ¡°Let¡¯s go get a ring!¡±
Orioles prospect Greg Cullen had one thing on his mind as he was swarmed by his teammates at home plate following his walk-off home run on Friday to give the Mesa Solar Sox a 4-3 win over the Scottsdale Scorpions at Sloan Park.
The 25-year-old lifted a 3-2 fastball from Guardians prospect Matt Turner just beyond the reach of leaping left fielder Matt Wallner (Twins No. 14). Two batters prior, A¡¯s prospect Jonah Bride tied the game on a solo homer just to the left of where Cullen¡¯s game-winning blast landed.
After finding himself down 0-2 in a left-on-left matchup, Cullen worked the count full. He was focused on hitting the left-center gap.
¡°That was kind of my approach the whole at-bat, but I took two fastballs right down the middle,¡± Cullen said. ¡°I guess I couldn¡¯t miss that one.¡±
Cullen¡¯s homer was the stuff that backyard dreams are made of -- full count, bottom of the final inning, a chance to win the game with one swing. While some may sell out for power in that spot, the former Niagara University star took a different approach.
¡°Really, I was just trying to get on base, because this whole lineup, we¡¯ve been doing it the whole year,¡± he said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking homer, but it ended up turning into a homer.¡±
Injuries set Cullen back in 2021, limiting the second baseman to 38 regular-season games over three levels: Double-A Bowie, Low-A Delmarva and the Florida Complex League Orioles. He batted .259 but he was able to notch a .429 on-base percentage while walking more times (31) than he struck out (30).
Despite being outside the Orioles¡¯ Top 30 prospect rankings, Cullen finds himself playing alongside the game¡¯s youngest rising stars.
¡°It¡¯s top notch,¡± said Cullen on the AFL¡¯s competition level. ¡°For me, it kind of reaffirms that I can play at any level. It just makes me better as a player. It¡¯s been a fantastic experience.¡±
Cullen, the 15th-round pick of the Braves in the 2018 Draft, concludes the Fall League regular season with the fourth-highest OPS (.935) on a team littered with offensive firepower.
¡°I¡¯m just so happy to be here. I¡¯ve enjoyed every second,¡± Cullen said. ¡°The guys in this dugout, they¡¯re going to be friends for life. It¡¯s bigger than baseball at that point.
¡°We¡¯ve been having fun this whole month. We keep calling ourselves ¡®America¡¯s Team.' We¡¯re just going to go have fun tomorrow and whatever happens, happens. We¡¯ve just been having a blast. Hopefully we get that ring tomorrow.¡±
Mesa is slated to play Surprise in the title game Saturday at 7 p.m. ET (5 p.m. MT) on MLB Network, streaming on MLB.com and in the MLB app.