Bruce Tyrone Maxwell III (born December 20, 1990) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

–born American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

for the

Acereros de Monclova The Acereros de Monclova (English: Monclova Steelers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico. Their home ballpark is Estadio de Béisbol Monclova, which has a capacity of 11,000 people. The Ace ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. He has played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the Oakland Athletics. Maxwell is the first MLB player to join other US athletes protesting racial injustice by kneeling during the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...

Early life

Maxwell was born on a U.S. military installation in

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, while his father, Bruce Jr., was stationed there with the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

during a

tour of duty For military personnel, a tour of duty is usually a period of time spent in combat or in a hostile environment. In an army, for instance, soldiers on active duty serve 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the length of their service commitment. ...

. He is a Biracial-American, Father African-American, Mother White-American. Maxwell played first base at Sparkman High School in Alabama. He then played first base and catcher in

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

at Division III

Birmingham–Southern College Birmingham–Southern College (BSC) is a private college in Birmingham, Alabama. Founded in 1856, the college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). More than 1 ...

in Alabama.

Professional career

Oakland Athletics

The Oakland Athletics selected Maxwell in the second round of the

2012 Major League Baseball draft The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the List of first overall Major League Baseball draft picks, first ...

. He made his debut that year with the AZL Athletics, and was promoted to the

Vermont Lake Monsters The Vermont Lake Monsters are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Burlington, Vermont. From 1994 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL). They play their home games at Centennial Field, on ...

of the

Class A-Short Season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (cre ...

New York-Pennsylvania League after six games. For Vermont, he batted .254 with 22 RBIs and was charged with 18 passed balls in 38 games. In 2013, playing for both the Beloit Snappers in the Class A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

and the Stockton Ports in the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

California League, he was charged with 17 passed balls. He caught 16% of attempted base-stealers, as runners stole 103 bases against him while he caught 19, in 83 games. He batted .275 with seven home runs and 49 RBIs in 104 games between both teams. In 2014, Maxwell batted .243/.334/.334 between Stockton and the

Midland RockHounds The Midland RockHounds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Midland, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Momentum Bank Ballpark, w ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

, as he gave up 19 passed balls in 102 games. In 2015, he spent the whole season at Midland, batting .243/.321/.308 in 96 games.

2016

Maxwell began 2016 with the Nashville Sounds of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...

Pacific Coast League. Maxwell was called up to the majors for the first time on July 23, 2016. He made his major league debut that night. In 60 games for Nashville prior to his promotion, he was batting .321 with ten home runs and 41 RBIs. He spent the remainder of the season with Oakland after his promotion and batted .283/.337/.402 in 33 games. For the season, runners were 8–0 in stolen base attempts against him.

2017

Maxwell began 2017 with Nashville and was recalled and optioned multiple times before he was called up to Oakland for the remainder of the season on June 22. In 76 games for Oakland, he batted .237 with three home runs and 22 RBIs. Bruce Maxwell - Kneeling (Art) 2017

On September 23, 2017, Maxwell became the first MLB player to join other US athletes protesting racial injustice by kneeling during the

; Maxwell placed his hand over his heart, and teammate Mark Canha stood next to Maxwell and put a hand on his shoulder in support. Maxwell's actions came in response to

President Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

's comments that professional football franchise owners should fire players who knelt during the anthem. On

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

and through his agent, Maxwell said his decision to kneel represented concern for racial injustice as well as freedom of speech and exercise of peaceful protest. The Oakland Athletics immediately issued a statement saying the team "pride ourselves on being inclusive" and supports "players' constitutional rights and freedom of expression." While supported by the A's, Maxwell's future career in the MLB was seen as impacted by the reaction to his kneeling. He remained the only MLB player to protest by kneeling until 2020, when the league allowed for "Black Lives Matter" patches and organized league-wide kneeling for social justice in the aftermath of the nationwide protests of the

murder of George Floyd On , George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was murdered in the U.S. city of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's ...

by police in Minneapolis. Subsequently, Maxwell said that while eating at a restaurant with a city councilman with whom he had attended high school, Devyn Keith, and another friend in Maxwell's hometown of

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in ...

, a waiter objected to Maxwell's protest and refused to serve their table. The waiter denied the story, saying he did not know who Maxwell was.

2018

Maxwell began 2018 with Oakland. He was placed on the restricted list on May 16 when the Athletics entered Canada to play the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

, as he was not eligible for entry into Canada as he had not yet been sentenced for his

assault with a deadly weapon An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...

charge that was placed in the previous off-season. He was designated for assignment on September 1, 2018. For the season with the A's, he batted .182/.207/.309 with one home run. He elected free agency on November 2, 2018.

New York Mets

On July 27, 2020, the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

signed Maxwell to a minor-league deal, pending physical and a negative COVID-19 test. Maxwell did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. He re-signed with the Mets on a new minor league deal on November 2, 2020. In 9 games for the Triple-A Syracuse Mets in 2021, Maxwell slashed .174/.355/.348 with 1 home run and 6 RBI.

San Francisco Giants

On June 5, 2021, Maxwell was traded to the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

in exchange for cash considerations. Maxwell underwent Tommy John surgery in July and missed the remainder of the season. In 9 games for the Double-A

Richmond Flying Squirrels The Richmond Flying Squirrels are a Minor League Baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia. The team, which is a part of the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club, and plays at The Diamond. The ...

, Maxwell had gone 8-for-34 with 1 home run and 6 RBI. Due to injury, Maxwell elected minor league free agency following the season on November 7, 2021. In December 2021, he signed with the sports & entertainment agency LAA Sports & Entertainment

International career

Acereros de Monclova

2019-2020

On March 6, 2019, Maxwell signed with the

of the

. He was successful in his first season with the club, slashing .325/.407/.559 with 24 home runs and 112 RBIs across 109 games played. Maxwell was also selected to the LMB All-Star Game and won the

Serie del Rey The Serie del Rey () is the annual championship series of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol to determine a champion at the end of each season since 1970. The champions from each division, Norte and Sur (), compete in a best-of-seven series, with the winn ...

with the Acereros, which was the first-ever championship for the team. Maxwell re-signed with the

for the 2020 season. However, due to the

, the season was canceled.

2022

On January 14, 2022, Maxwell signed with the

of the

for the 2022 summer season. Assigned to the

on May 20, 2022, 10 Months after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Maxwell successfully slashed .365/.472/.615 with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs across 44 games played.

Cañeros de Los Mochis

On June 16, 2022, Maxwell was drafted by the Cañeros de Los Mochis of the

Liga Mexicana del Pacífico The Mexican Pacific League (), known as Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico for sponsorship reasons or simply LMP for its acronym in Spanish, is a professional baseball winter league based in Northern Mexico. The ten-team regular season schedule run ...

for the 2022 winter season. On August 13, 2022, Maxwell's signing was confirmed marking his second stint with the league after briefly playing for the

Charros de Jalisco The Charros de Jalisco ( en, Jalisco Horsemen) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican Pacific League based in Zapopan, Jalisco. Their home ballpark is Estadio Panamericano, and has a capacity of 16,500 people. Their initial season was 2 ...

in the 2019 winter season.

World Baseball Classic (WBC)

Maxwell has represented team

at the

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Lea ...

Qualifiers for three cycles (2016, 2020(Canceled),and 2022).

Awards and Honors

Personal life

On October 28, 2017, Maxwell was accused of pointing a firearm at a food delivery driver delivering food to him at his home in

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

late at night. Maxwell was arrested on a

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. On July 2, 2018, he was sentenced to two years probation for disorderly conduct.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Maxwell, Bruce 1990 births Living people Acereros de Monclova players African-American baseball players Águilas Cibaeñas players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American expatriates in Germany Arizona League Athletics players Baseball players from Alabama Beloit Snappers players Birmingham–Southern Panthers baseball players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball players from Germany Mesa Solar Sox players Midland RockHounds players Nashville Sounds players Oakland Athletics players Stockton Ports players Sportspeople from Huntsville, Alabama Sportspeople from Wiesbaden Toros del Este players Vermont Lake Monsters players Syracuse Mets players 21st-century African-American sportspeople