Justin Maxwell could be utility man for Marlins

In one of the few moves the Miami Marlins have actually made this off-season, the Marlins utility outfielder Justin Maxwell. Maxwell, a career journeyman jumped at the chance to head to Miami and attempt to make the big league roster out of Spring Training. Maxwell signed a non-major league contract that does have a $1.1 million bonus if he can crack the major league roster.

Drafted in 2006 by the Nationals, Maxwell made his big league debut in 2007 appearing in 15 games for the Nats. His first full 100+ game season in the majors was 2012 where he appeared in 124 games for the Astros batting .229 and coming in at 1.9 wins above replacement.

Maxwell was above replacement in 75 games of big league action in 2013 and he batted .252. He spent the majority of 2014 playing for the Kansas City Royals organization in Omaha Nebraska.

In 2015, he signed with the San Francisco Giants appearing in 100 games and coming in at 0.5 wins above replacement. He created 75 runs for the Giants and batted a lowly .209.

There’s a potential that Maxwell could be a right-handed utility hitter off the bench. If he does make it to the big leagues out of camp, he should see time as a pinch-hitter and outfield substitution joining Ichiro on the bench.

If Maxwell does hope to make the roster, he will more than likely be competing with Cole Gillespe. This battle will likely continue into camp unless the Marlins decide to bring in any other utility outfielders, but this is an extremely unlikely situation.

Maxwell brings decent defense and average offense to the table. His contract is cheap enough to give him a shot in camp, and with success, he could be a cost effective piece off the bench.