Maxwell's doing what it takes to move up

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Justin Maxwell sat in front of his locker in the Minor League clubhouse at Space Coast Stadium one morning shortly after being sent back from Major League Spring Training. The conversation quickly turned to where Maxwell would be playing this season, and whether it would be difficult from an ego standpoint to go back to the Minor Leagues after spending time in Washington last season.

Maxwell never hesitated when the subject was broached, saying that he should be in Double-A Harrisburg this season because he simply doesn't have enough on his resume to play full-time in the Major Leagues. He said, rather matter of factly, that he didn't have the experience, and it would be good to get some more seasoning.

Fair enough. It's not often that a young player will be so humble as to know, or particularly admit, that he doesn't really know everything. Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon at Commerce Bank Park as Maxwell prepared to face Erie in an early Eastern League showdown for first place. He was reminded of that conversation, smiled a quick smile before saying that his position on the matter hasn't changed.

"Absolutely," Maxwell said about the need to be in Harrisburg. "I'm still developing. This is only my third year. I still have plenty of things to learn and fine-tune. Once you get to the big leagues, you have to be that kind of player every day.

"I'm still working on keeping my swing consistent, having quality at-bats and making all the routine plays. There are a lot of things that people don't realize go into this. We work pretty much all the time down here. We're here at 12:30 until game time [usually 6 p.m. or 7 p.m.] getting ready. There's a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that goes on."

Some of that behind-the-scenes stuff included taking early batting practice around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, and shagging flies as his teammates got in some extra hitting. While Maxwell is batting only .242 -- he went hitless in three games against Erie -- he does have an on-base percentage that's hovering around .420.

Heading into Thursday's action, he was third in the Minor Leagues with 18 walks against only 13 strikeouts. Maxwell drew only 50 walks last season and struck out 122 times in 437 combined at-bats at Class A Advanced Potomac and Harrisburg.

"What's amazing about that is, before the season he told me he didn't have the strike zone recognition he needed," Harrisburg manager John Stearns said. "So, that's an unbelievable improvement. I don't think we had anyone in the organization last year that had a one-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio or better.

"He's as good a prospect as I've ever seen. A lot of it is because of his humility, his demeanor and his mental approach. He knows he needs to earn his way up there. But he has plus power, he's a good runner and he can play all three outfield positions. He's a big guy, but he doesn't just try to pull the ball. He uses the whole field."

The only flaw that Stearns says he has seen in Maxwell's game is his arm. Maxwell is also aware that his arm will never be confused with some of the cannon-like weapons possessed by other Minor League outfielders, but he's constantly working to make the situation better, doing the little things like clarifying routes as he shags fly balls.

The effort has paid off to some degree, because Maxwell had two assists in his first 42 total chances this season.

"My arm has always been a weak point, but I keep working on my mechanics," he said. "I get rid of the ball quickly. There are a lot of big leaguers who don't have great arms but cut distance off their throws by getting to the ball quickly."

It appears as if Maxwell will someday join that group of Major League outfielders. He made a positive impact on the Nationals last season, when he hit .269 with two homers and five RBIs in 26 at-bats. He's continuing to make a positive impact in Harrisburg now, knowing that it's where he's supposed to be.