Cameron Maybin

Maybin began the spring in Giants camp but was released late. The Indians signed him to a minor-league deal and after a month with Triple-A Columbus, he was dealt to the Bronx. With five outfielders sidelined, the Yankees inserted Maybin into their starting lineup. In between his own health woes, Maybin posted arguably the best season of his career, slashing .285/.364/.494 with nine swipes. The oft-injured veteran spent time on the IL with a Grade 2 calf strain and missed action down the stretch with a sore wrist. The increased offense was a result of a big spike in hard-hit rate and average exit velocity. This was all Maybin's doing as the ball wasn't "bouncier," the "juice" was due to encountering less air resistance while in flight. Entering his age-33 season, some of the gains are likely to be given back. Still, the free-agent outfielder should find work in a reserve role.

This is not a misprint; Maybin is really only turning 32 this season. He has seemingly been in the major leagues forever as he made his big-league debut in 2007 and has played for six organizations, including two separate stints in Miami. He stole 33 bases as recently as two seasons ago and is still a threat to run, but his offensive profile is otherwise unattractive. The perception is that Maybin is a good short-side platoon player but his numbers against lefties the past two seasons say otherwise. He has been closer to league average in his production against righties, so the right job on a non-contending team could potentially lead to another 20-plus steals in 2019. That is the only way he adds any fantasy value to a roster as his production in the other categories falls well short of replacement level. If he signs with a contender, pass.

Maybin was a known commodity heading into the 2017 season. He had speed and flashed occasional power around a slew of injuries. 2016 saw him rake and slash before injuries derailed him yet again. 2017 saw him begin the season with the Angels, hitting .245/.347/.381 in the first half with 25 steals before he once again got hurt -- he dealt with oblique and knee injuries. Once he got healthy, he went .192/.255/.331 the rest of the way with eight steals, but was a national hero when he stole the base in the World Series to get us all free tacos. As it were, he was just one of six guys to steal 30 bases last year and that speed is the one skill we can still count on. If he can get 350 plate appearances, he'll steal at least 15-to-20 bases and has 25-to-30 steal upside. He is a better play in OBP leagues.

It seems as though Maybin is older than he really is, but he turns 30 early into the 2017 season. In 2016, he attempted to pick up where he left off in 2015, but issues with his wrist, quad, and thumb throughout the season limited him to 391 plate appearances. When he did play, he hit a career-high .315 while also setting a career-high walk rate and slugging percentage. Maybin also scored 65 times despite the limited playing time thanks to a .383 on base percentage. With a career 2.14 GB/FB ratio that is showing no sign of dropping in recent seasons, a return to double-digit homers is unlikely. Health is the big issue here as it's holding him back from maximizing on his production during his peak years. Of course, health does not improve with age, but he managed to rack up 555 plate appearances in 2015 with Atlanta, which is likely his ceiling even as an everyday player for the Angels after he was acquired from the Tigers in November.

After a trade to Atlanta, Maybin was entrusted with a full-time role for the first time since 2012. Maybin went on to set career highs in batting average (.267) and home runs (10) while supplying over 20 stolen bases for the first time since 2012. Maybin hasn’t developed power, and it wasn’t just Petco Park keeping his power numbers down. But he has speed to burn and is a capable center fielder, and that should keep him on the field in 2016 and beyond, as he starts another new chapter in his career following an offseason trade to Detroit. His contact issues from his early years in the majors have been largely resolved, as his 18.4 percent strikeout rate was a career best for a full season. Even if he won’t hit for power, Maybin will run wild when he gets on base and he shouldn’t be the batting average black hole of past seasons. A wrist fracture puts his status for Opening Day in jeopardy, but even if he starts the year on the DL he is expected to return sometime in April.

Any shimmer of hope that Maybin may finally break out faded for many in 2014, as the former first-round pick (10th overall in 2005) battled injury and ineffectiveness en route to a dismal .235/.290/.331 batting line. Maybin missed nearly the entire first month after suffering a biceps injury in spring training and was later forced to serve a 25-game ban for testing positive for amphetamines. He hit just .207 with two extra-base hits after his return in August (77 at-bats) and managed to go just 4-for-7 on the basepaths for the season, making the 40-steal campaign on his resume seem like a fairy tale. His struggles against opposite-handed pitching also continued (.575 OPS against southpaws), and the underlying stats provide little hope for 2015. He had a .297 BABIP (.312 for career), and his strikeout (20.6%) and walk rates (7.0%) were pretty much right in line with his career norms (22.8% K%, 7.6% BB%). That said, Maybin should compete with Will Venable for the top reserve outfield role in spring training.

Maybin essentially forfeited the 2013 season due to wrist and knee issues, collecting merely 57 plate appearances as a result. The season-ending wrist procedure performed in early September required more cleanup than expected, but after missing time due to ailments in the region in three consecutive seasons, there is hope that a wrist devoid of loose particles and cartilage will keep the injury bug at bay. After swiping 66 bags in 81 total attempts during the previous two campaigns, the supreme basestealer should attain full health by the commencement of spring training.

Maybin's numbers slipped from 2011 to 2012 as he hit for a lower average, got on base less, hit for less power, and stole fewer bases, but something else happened in the process; he started to make contact at a much higher rate than ever before. This can largely be attributed to a change in his batting stance. The returns from this change can be seen in the numbers he produced after the All-Star break as he hit .283/.333/.402 in the second half of the season. If he can maintain this change in his approach, and there's no reason to think he can't, 2013 may be the encore that many were hoping for, after his breakout in 2011.

Apparently, all it took for Maybin to start delivering on that five-tool potential was a trade to San Diego. After three disappointing and injury plagued seasons with the Marlins, Maybin finished 2011 with a .264/.323/.393 line. While those averages don't seem all that exciting, they are, for all intents and purposes, a career best and a staunch improvement from previous seasons. He also hit nine home runs and stole 40 bases and entrenched himself as the Padres' full-time, starting center fielder. His minor league totals always showed that he had the skill set to produce at this level and if he can continue to reduce the strikeouts as he's done, he'll be in line for a breakout season in 2012.

For the second straight season Maybin raked Triple-A pitching but struggled at the plate in the majors, and the Marlins finally got tired of watching his potential go unrealized. Moving to San Diego won't help his numbers any though, and given his poor and stagnant plate discipline even a Mike Cameron-esque offensive ceiling is beginning to seem like a stretch.

Maybin won the starting job in center field last spring but struggled at the plate, and the Marlins decided to save some coin and delay the start of his arbitration clock by sending him back down to Triple-A and leaving him there most of the year despite significant improvement with his bat. He'll turn 23 just after Opening Day and still has every tool you could want in a center fielder, and after another big September (.293/.353/.500 after his late season callup) he seems poised to keep the job this time. He still has a real chance to be very, very good.

The Marlins exercised uncharacteristic patience with Maybin, leaving him at Double-A for most of the season before bringing the 21-year-old back up to the majors, presumably for good. A rough start at Carolina forced their hand to some extent, but his final Double-A numbers were solid and he was electric in his brief stint in the bigs in September. The strikeouts are the major concern here, and will almost certainly keep him from hitting for a good batting average, but his power, speed and defense are all very good and getting better. Mike Cameron is the obvious comp but Maybin's ceiling is higher than that, and he's still got a real chance to develop into the kind of player Eric Davis might have been if he'd stayed healthier.

Maybin shot through the Tigers system last season, starting at High-A Lakeland and making a quick pit stop in Double-A before being promoted to Detroit. Maybin dominated Double-A pitching in his short trial there, but he struggled at the major league level, striking out 21 times in his 49 at-bats. A shoulder strain limited him for most of the Arizona Fall League schedule, but he was healthy enough to be one of the key players in the Florida-Detroit blockbuster in December. Maybin will get a chance to earn the everyday job in center field for the Marlins, but he could go back as far as Double-A to start the year. Even if he begins the year in the minors, it's very likely that he'll be playing for the Marlins at some point this season.

Maybin hit .304 with a .387 OBP and nine homers as a 19-year-old at low-A West Michigan last season. His 116 strikeouts in 385 at-bats are a bit of a concern but since he is only 19 there is hope that he will start to cut down on the Ks as he matures. The Tigers love his potential as evidenced by their unwillingness to include him in a deadline deal for Alfonso Soriano last season.

Maybin was selected out of high school as Detroit’s first round pick in the draft last season. He's drawn rave reviews for his tools and his makeup. We'll see how that translates performance-wise once he faces tougher competition.

Maybin was taken by the Tigers with the 10th pick in the 2005 draft. Maybin, a high schooler out of North Carolina, is a scout-friendly pick. He's drawn raves for his tools and his makeup.