MLB Rookie Profile: Bruce Maxwell, C, Oakland Athletics

Yesterday the Oakland Athletics promoted rookie catcher Bruce Maxwell to the major league roster. He was on the roster for a few days in April, going 2-for-5 in a pair of games against the Texas Rangers. We didn’t review him then but let’s take a quick glance now that he’s returned to the majors.

Maxwell ranked 16th on the Oakland Athletics Top 20 prospects for 2017 list with the following comment:

16) Bruce Maxwell, C, Grade C+: Age 26, second round pick in 2012 from Birmingham Southern; at the time, was a strong power hitter with a weak glove but has totally remade his profile; he’s now an excellent defensive catcher who didn’t hit at all until 2016; crushed Triple-A at .321/.393/.539 in 193 at-bats, then hit .283/.337/.402 in 92 major league at-bats; older prospect, but glove will keep him employed at least as a reserve; he hits left-handed which makes platoon use easier; while skepticism is understandable, he did mash in college and it is plausible that all the concentration on improving his defense kept his bat stagnant for a while; put another way, the .283/.337/.402 line may not be a fluke at all. ETA 2017.

Through 15 games for Nashville this year Maxwell is hitting .275/.351/.412. He also played well in spring training with the A’s, hitting .282/.364/.513.

Maxwell has nothing left to prove in the minors and the pre-season analysis still holds. He’s a solid defender and has enough in the bat to be a viable platoon player at least. I don’t see any reason why he can’t be a .260-.270 hitter with a decent OBP and enough power to have value.