San Francisco Giants Set Outfield: Sign Maxwell; DFA Brown

San Francisco Giants non-roster invitee Justin Maxwell had a huge day on Tuesday. After pinch-hitting for Gregor Blanco in the second inning, Maxwell went 3-3 with three singles, a sacrifice fly, and three RBI. He was responsible for each of the Giants’ first three runs against the Colorado Rockies, and only Matt Duffy‘s eighth inning RBI single put another run on the board.

While his day on the field was great, what happened after the game is what made it really special. As Andrew Baggarly reported on his Twitter account, Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy wanted to use Maxwell off the bench, because “that’s going to be his role”, basically confirming that Maxwell had made the team.

That “basically confirmed” turned into a “definitely confirmed” a little later, when Maxwell signed his major league contract with the team. By all accounts, Maxwell was thrilled to sign with the team that he says he grew up a fan of, as his father was brought up a Giants’ fan, with the legendary Willie Mays being his favorite player.

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Maxwell earned his spot with the big league club with a great Spring. The first week was awful, as Maxwell started 0-10, and made very little solid contact. Since then, he’s caught fire, going 21-50 (.420), raising his overall average to .350. He also has two home runs, four doubles, a triple, and 14 RBI. He’s also played great defense, which is something the Giants really like about him.

The right-hander will likely take the fourth outfielder role, as Blanco is expected to slide into right field while Hunter Pence recovers from his injury. He will probably get his fair share of chances against left-handed pitchers. His power is a great asset, and the Giants hope to get some of the power that helped him lead the 2012 Houston Astros in home runs.

The future is unclear at this point for Maxwell. When Pence returns, Maxwell looks like the odd man out, as things stand now. But just like in the Spring, things can change quickly. If Maxwell can hit like he did in Spring Training, the team could have a hard time getting rid of him.

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In order to make room for Maxwell, who was signed to a minor league deal in the offseason, on the 40-man roster, the team designated former top prospect outfielder Gary Brown for assignment.

Brown has had a miserable Spring Training thus far, as he’s hit just .154 (6-39) with three RBI. In pretty much the exact opposite fashion of Maxwell, Brown had a great week one, then went ice cold with the bat afterwards. Brown started 4-13, but since then has just a pair of hits in 26 at-bats.

2011 was the season that gave the team, and fans, hope that Brown could be the future. In 131 games with the Advanced-A San Jose Giants, he put up a .336/.407/.519 slash-line, with 34 doubles, 13 triples, 14 home runs, 80 RBI, 115 runs scored, and 53 stolen bases. In other words, he had a monster year for a leadoff hitter.

Since that magical year, Brown has underperformed at every minor league stop, posting a .259 average between Double-A and Triple-A, and not matching any of the counting statistics from 2011 in a single year.

Brown is still only 26 years old, and while on waivers, there’s a good chance a team will take a chance on the once-promising outfielder. There is still a lot of potential in Brown, and maybe a change of scenery is just what the doctor ordered.

On the reverse side, if Brown goes unclaimed, the Giants can send him back to Triple-A, where he can play everyday, and provide organizational depth if any of the big league outfielders were to get hurt.

Maxwell joins an increasingly long list of recent Giants’ non-roster invitees who have gotten the nod for the big league club, either on Opening Day, or as a midseason call-up. In 2011, Ryan Vogelsong was a non-roster invitee, and established himself as an All-Star pitcher that season. In 2012, both Blanco and Joaquin Arias made the team as Spring Training invites, and have each since established themselves as solid role players, with a pair of World Series rings to boot.

In 2014, Juan Gutierrez and Brandon Hicks both made the opening day squad as non-roster guys. Hicks was the starting second baseman for much of the early part of the season, and provided some big moments before fizzling out. Gutierrez was a solid, but very slow, piece to the bullpen all season.

Maxwell will look to join all those players as Giants. And part of being a Giant is owning a World Series ring. The Giants stole a ring from Maxwell when he was with the Kansas City Royals in 2014, so the team owes him one. Here’s to hoping the odd year curse can end this year.

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