SF Giants history: Remembering 2 forgotten spring training legends

Spring training may be coming to a close fairly soon for the SF Giants, but it is worth it to take a brief stroll down memory lane and recall two former Giants, Chris Marrero and Justin Maxwell, who earned a spot on the team thanks to a strong showing in the Cactus League.

Back in 2017, Marrero entered camp as a non-roster invite who really needed to impress if he wanted to make the big league club. He did just that, hitting seven home runs while sporting a .979 OPS in spring which earned him a spot on the big league roster where the Giants planned to use him in a platoon in left field with Jarrett Parker (remember him?).

2 forgotten SF Giants who tore it up in spring training

Unfortunately, Marrero was unable to carry that hot spring over into the regular season. In 15 games and 38 at-bats with the Giants in 2017, he slashed just .132/.171/.211 with one home run and five RBI. Fun fact: his one home run that season, which was also his only big league home run in his career, was off future Forever Giant Tyler Anderson.

The Giants wound up designating Marrero for assignment less than a month into the season. Shortly after being let go by San Francisco, he signed with a team in Japan where he played until 2019. He really did come out of nowhere to snag a spot on the roster but unfortunately his success was not sustained.

Another Giants who had a hot spring training was Justin Maxwell back in 2015. The Giants signed him and he too was a non-roster invite to spring training. He was able to earn a spot on the team thanks to a strong spring and an injury to Hunter Pence which sidelined him for the first few months of the regular season.

He got off to a good start with the Giants but cooled off at the plate throughout the season and was eventually pushed to the side more with Pence's return from injury. Maxwell slashed .209/.275/.341 with seven home runs and 26 RBI before being designated for assignment in September.

His playing days ended in 2016, and since then he has gone on to follow in his father's footsteps, who served several U.S. presidents, as a dentist in the Baltimore area. He always did have good teeth, so it makes a lot of sense.

These Giants were not able to fully stick on the team, but they did prove that a player can come out of nowhere and earn a roster spot with a hot spring training performance.

The only current Giants who has a similar profile is Jerar Encarnacion who has likely earned himself a spot on the team given how strong he has looked thus far in spring training. We will have to see if he has more staying power that Marrero or Maxwell, but it is nonetheless fun to take a stroll down memory lane and remember some forgotten Giants.