What does a Minor League grinder do after his long-awaited MLB stint? Keeps grinding

Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This article -- which he reported on from Toledo, Ohio, on Aug. 25 -- is one of those stories. Subscribe to his newsletter here.

In April of 2023 Drew Maggi became a national feel-good news story: Career Minor Leaguer, nearly 34 years old, makes Major League debut. He appeared in three games for the Pittsburgh Pirates, collected a couple hits, absorbed and emanated good vibes. Maggi’s presence on the big league scene, however ephemeral, was a win for the underdog and an embodiment of an enduring cliché: Don’t give up. Dreams do come true.

By the time the 2024 season rolled around, the spotlight had receded. Maggi, however, was still out there, still navigating the baseball wilderness. Still grinding his way through a career that has now encompassed 15 seasons, seven Major League organizations, nearly 5,000 plate appearances, various international excursions (including Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic), and, in 2021, a "phantom" appearance on the Minnesota Twins roster.

“I stay where my feet are,” said Maggi, speaking during the final month of his 2024 campaign. “So, for me, it’s day to day.”

During this particular late August conversation Maggi’s feet -- and the rest of him -- were in Northwest Ohio, not far from the banks of the Maumee River. He was playing for the Toledo Mud Hens, Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, who, desirous of infield depth, signed him at the end of June.

Prior to a Sunday matinee against the Iowa Cubs, the 35-year-old reflected on what had been an eventful 16 months.

“After [playing in the Major Leagues] it’s been totally different, people coming up to me, telling me how I inspired them,” he said. “It was great for me, but that’s not why I did it. … I was doing what I love and got elevated to a higher level to get recognition, which I’m grateful for.”

Maggi spent less than a week with the Pirates in 2023, a surreal blip that concluded with an unceremonious demotion (is there any other kind?) to the Double-A Altoona Curve. Inevitable or not, this was a drastic comedown. Maggi had first played for the Curve from 2012-14, during his first stint with Pittsburgh (the organization that drafted him), logging more games in Altoona than he had with any other Minor League team. And now he was back there again? It felt, perhaps, like his own version of *"Groundhog Day."*

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Maggi scuffled upon his return to Altoona and the Pirates released him in July. He said that the organization is made up of “great people” and that “there are no hard feelings,” but conceded that he was “kind of done there.”

“Heading into the [2023-24] offseason, I was pretty satisfied. It was just a whole different experience, knowing that I had accomplished a big goal of mine,” he said. “Going to the big leagues was the dream, so there was a lot of pressure off my shoulders. And, no, I wasn’t sure I was going to play again.”

But as Spring Training neared, that old familiar urge returned.

“I wanted to go have fun, and I didn’t want to go out getting released either,” he said. “I was in good shape. And, yeah, I decided to go play.”

He showed up at Brewers camp during Spring Training, trying to entice manager Pat Murphy -- his former coach at Arizona State University -- to give him a shot somewhere within Milwaukee’s system. That didn’t pan out, but he did receive calls from various independent league teams. Among this eclectic group of non-affiliated entities, the Staten Island FerryHawks won out.

“Mark Minicozzi was the manager there, who I played against, and he’s phenomenal. A Minor League grinder too. And then, yeah, Manhattan’s right there [visible from the ballpark] and there’s a bunch of Italian guys. I was having a blast,” said Maggi. “Pablo Sandoval was on the team, giving speeches before the game. Just all about winning, and the culture was fun and, you know, guys weren’t just talking about getting moved up.”

After 29 games with the FerryHawks, Maggi was brought back into the affiliated fold. The process was initiated via a text from Tigers infield coordinator Billy Boyer, who was employed in a similar role during Maggi’s stint in the Minnesota Twins organization (2019-21).

“[Boyer and I] spent the COVID season together at the [Twins] alternate site, and became really close,” Maggi recalled. “He was like, ‘We need an infielder, veteran guy, good clubhouse guy.’ And then [Tigers assistant GM] Ryan Garko was actually my manager with the Tulsa Drillers in 2016. So, its kind of full circle, guys that I knew and respect, and who respect me. So they were like ‘We’d love to have you.’

“’We need a guy.’ You know?”

If there’s one thing that unites all baseball organizations, it’s that they often need a guy. Roles for steady if unspectacular veterans have been harder to come by since Minor League Baseball was reduced in size prior to the 2021 season, but Maggi’s reputation and persistence have kept him in the conversation. His presence on a roster is tangible proof that, though the road may be long, the ultimate dream is attainable.

“Even with teammates it’s been different, because now I’m inspiring guys in the game,” he said. “And that’s always what’s kept me around, I would try to be a good teammate, try to help guys reach their goals.”

Will Maggi move on to coaching one day? He gets asked that a lot, and it certainly seems likely, but again: He just stays where his feet are. As the 2024 season wound down, Maggi was keeping his options open.

“I’m getting to do what I love and I’m gonna enjoy it as long as I can. And when it’s done? I’ll figure something out.”