SF Giants: 2 longtime outfielders join the broadcast booth

Two longtime outfielders are making a career pivot as the YES Network announced new additions to the broadcast booth for the New York Yankees. Cameron Maybin and former SF Giants outfielder Carlos Beltrán will each be providing game analysis for 40 games in 2022.

SF Giants: 2 longtime outfielders join the broadcast booth

Beltrán retired after the 2017 season, but Maybin announced his retirement earlier this offseason. Both players have prior ties to the Yankees organization with Beltrán appearing in parts of three seasons beginning in 2014, whereas Maybin had donned the pinstripes for just one season.

In addition to this, both have prior ties to the Giants organization as well. Beltrán came over to the Giants at the 2011 trade deadline from the New York Mets in exchange for pitching prospect Zack Wheeler.

The veteran outfielder spent time on the injured list with the Orange and Black, but when he was healthy, he was a productive bat, slashing .323/.369/.551 (159 OPS+) with seven home runs and 18 RBI in 179 plate appearances following the trade.

The Giants posted an 86-76 record in 2011, finishing in second place in the NL West behind the 94-win Arizona Diamondbacks. That trade has been dissected over and over again as Wheeler has emerged as one of the top starting pitchers in recent years, which included a second-place finish in the NL Cy Young vote in 2021.

That said, the goal of the trade was to help the Giants get into the playoffs. The offense struggled badly after the season-ending injuries to both Buster Posey and Freddy Sánchez. However, the Giants have a strong pitching staff headlined by Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Madison Bumgarner as well as a stout bullpen.

The 2011 Giants were not going to win because of the offense, but if they squeaked into the playoffs, they had the starting rotation headlined by Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Madison Bumgarner to make a deep playoff push. It did not happen, but that is the risk that teams run with trading away prospects.

On the other hand, Maybin never officially appeared in a major league game with the Giants, but he did spend much of the 2019 spring training in Scottsdale, Arizona. The right-handed bat signed a minor-league pact with a camp invite with the Giants just before the start of spring training.

He struggled with the Giants, recording only seven hits in 43 at-bats before being released. He latched on with the Cleveland Guardians Triple-A affiliate before his contract was purchased by the Yankees.

In his lone season with the Yankees, he impressed as he slashed .285/.364/.494 (127 OPS+) with 11 home runs and 32 RBI in 269 plate appearances. In the ensuing two seasons, the 15-year veteran made stops with the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, and New York Mets before officially hanging up his cleats.

Beltrán and Maybin are transitioning to a role that has been commonplace for longtime veterans. Both bring a unique experience from the game that is difficult to replicate and seem like they are going to be naturals in the broadcast booth.