The Oakland A’s have two players in camp this spring that played in Stockton last season. One is obviously uber-prospect Addison Russell, while the other is C Bruce Maxwell. The Ports have a story up on their page about these two.
Russell is all over the hot-prospects lists and he dazzled at Stockton last year after making the jump from three 2012 stops at Rookie, Short Season and loA ball. The 6′ 0″, 190-lb Florida native got off for 17 homers and 60 RBI’s while posting a line of .275/.377/.508. Russell improved dramatically in the second half of the Cal League season and got into three games at AAA Sacramento.
Baseball America had Russell at #1 on Oakland’s prospect list going into 2013 and nothing in his performance changed that, as he is #1 again heading into this season.
Maxwell was a 2nd-round draft pick in 2012 and entered the 2013 season as Oakland’s #23 prospect according to Baseball America. His line at Stockton was .263/.335/.394 in 47 games after coming up from loA Beloit. BA notes an improved CS % from behind the plate and a good left-handed swing on offense, but his stock has dropped to #28 on this season’s top prospects list.
Nevertheless, the A’s organization is thin at the catching position, thus, Maxwell is in camp this spring.
Progress for these two will be posted here as Spring Training unfolds.
