San Francisco Giants Mailbag: McGehee, Maxwell, Lincecum

Apr 24, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco Giants right fielder Justin Maxwell (43) after making a diving catch during the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Rockies won 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Maxwell has been one of the most pleasant surprises for the Giants so far this season. He’s gone from non-roster invitee to playing his way onto the 25-man roster to key contributor for the Giants on both offense and defense.

He’s currently hitting .302 with three home runs and nine RBI in 18 games and 43 at-bats. He also has a .388 on-base percentage and a .605 slugging percentage, which equates to an incredible .992 OPS. It’s obviously early in the season and this is a small sample size, but he has really helped fill the void in the middle of the lineup with McGehee and Belt struggling and Hunter Pence still injured.

Defensively, he’s also made some incredible catches so far this season, and he has the ability to play all three outfield positions, which is a valuable asset for the Giants. He has 22 putouts in 22 chances and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. He has committed no errors so far.

Bochy has said that, even when Pence returns, Maxwell will continue to get playing time, as he plans on giving Nori Aoki, Angel Pagan, and even Pence, occasionally, some more rest to get Maxwell some starts. Maxwell will have the opportunity to continue to prove why he deserves playing time, so now, it’s up to him to contribute solid defense and smart at-bats.

Maxwell is 31 years old and has bounced around in his MLB career, so it’s unclear if and how long this hot streak will last. It’s unlikely that he’ll be able to maintain his .992 OPS and .302 average throughout the season.

However, if he can be consistent, continue to hit for power, and play solid defense, then he could truly make San Francisco his home. The Giants might have found a diamond in the rough.

Next: Is the Old Lincecum Finally Back?