Early Years
Born in Lawton, Michigan in 1927, Maxwell played baseball for Western Michigan University in 1945 before being drafted into the U.S. Army. After two years in the military, Maxwell played parts of 8 seasons in the minor leagues (1947–53) before reaching the majors on a full-time basis.
Signed by the Boston Red Sox, Maxwell spent three years (1947–49) playing for the Red Sox minor league team in Roanoke, Virginia. In 1949, Maxwell won the Triple crown in the Class B Piedmont League, with a .345 batting average, 29 home runs, and 112 RBIs. On May 25, 1949, Maxwell capped a comeback from 13–4 deficit with a two-out three-run homer in the 9th inning.
In 1950, Maxwell hit .320 with 25 home runs for Birmingham in the Double-A Southern Association. After hitting four home runs in the post-season for Birmingham, Maxwell was called up to the big leagues for the last week of the 1950 season. Maxwell went hitless in nine plate appearances for the Red Sox in 1950.
In 1951, Maxwell remained with the Red Sox but saw limited playing time as the backup left fielder for Ted Williams. His batting average in 1951 was a disappointing .188. Things went from bad to worse in 1952, as Maxwell managed only one hit in 15 at bats.
In 1953, Maxwell turned things around, playing the full season for Louisville of the Triple-A American Association, and finishing the year with a .305 batting average, 23 home runs and 107 RBIs.
Maxwell's strong performance in Louisville and Ted Williams' broken collarbone resulted in Maxwell being the Red Sox starting left fielder at the start of the 1954 season. In mid-May, Williams returned to the lineup, and Maxwell returned to the bench.
In the off-season, the Red Sox sold Maxwell to the Baltimore Orioles, but Maxwell had only four at bats for the Orioles before he was sold to the Detroit Tigers on May 9, 1955. At age 28, Maxwell finally landed with a team where he could play every day in the outfield.
Read more about this topic: Charlie Maxwell
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