Compiled a 4.0 GPA at Sherwood (MD) High School...while at Sherwood, lettered twice in both baseball and basketball... was named second-team All-Met by the Washington Post...drafted out of high school by Baltimore in the seventh round of the June 2001 draft but did not sign... elected to attend Maryland over Harvard. ... While at Maryland, hit .299 with 20 doubles, 16 homers, 71 RBI and 24 steals in 103 games...named a 2005 preseason All- America, and was rated as the "Best Athlete" and "Top Defensive Outfielder" in the ACC entering the 2005 season by Baseball America...drafted by Texas after his junior season in the 10th round of the June 2004 draft but did not sign. ... Was drafted for the third time in his amateur career, this time after his senior year at Maryland, in the fourth round of the June 2005 draft...signed by Nationals scout Alex Smith. ... Originally added to Washington's Major League 40-man roster as a September callup in 2007...he was called up directly from Class A ball in what was just his second professional season. ... After being designated for assignment by New York (AL) following last year's Spring Training (April 4), the Astros claimed him off waivers on April 8, 2012. ... Is currently signed to a one-year contract that runs through the 2013 season.
2013
Justin came to the Royals in a trade with the Houston Astros on July 31 in exchange for minor league pitcher Kyle Smith...hit .268 with five homers and 17 RBIs in 35 games with Kansas City... Hit .269 after the All-Star break, after batting just .231 in the first half...his .492 slugging percentage after the break ranked 20th in the American League... Batted .313 (15-for-48) with a .646 slugging percentage at Kauffman Stadium...hit .311 (19-for-61) with three doubles, four homers and 11 RBI in his first month with KC...hit safely in 13 of his first 15 games with the Royals... Blasted a pinch-hit game-winning solo homer in the 12th inning on August 3 to beat the Mets, 4-3...it was his fifth-career pinch-hit dinger and the Royals' only roundtripper by a pinch hitter in 2013... Slugged a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning of the home finale, September 22, to beat Texas 4-0...marked his second career walk-off slam, also connecting on September 30, 2009...it was his fourth career slam and first since 2010... Batted .241 with 10 doubles and two homers in 40 games with the Astros...had two separate D.L. stints, missingseven weeks with a fractured hand (April 24-June 18) and two weeks with a concussion (June 30-July 14).
2012
Played in a career-high 124 games, posting a club-high 18 home runs in only 315 at-bats...ranked
second on the club in RBI...oddly enough, hit eight of his 18 homers in games started by RHP Lucas Harrell...
finished his season with three pinch-hit homers, which ranked tied for second in the Majors...hit .250 (7x28)
with a .313 OBP in the pinch...played all three outfield positions, making 47 starts in CF, 17 in LF and 13 in RF...
appeared in all three OF positions in the same game four times...is the fourth player in franchise history to do
this and the only player to do this multiple times, most recently accomplished by Thomas Howard on Sept.
18, 1997, at PIT...began his season in the Yankees system before being designated for assignment following
Spring Training on April 4...hit .310 (13x42) with 11 RBI in 27 games for the Yankees this spring...claimed off
waivers by Houston on April 8...spent the entire season with the Astros other than a DL trip from June 26-July
13 because of loose bodies in his left ankle...homered as a pinch-hitter in his first plate appearace as an Astro
on April 9 vs. ATL...marked the first Astro to homer in his first PA with the club since LHP Gustavo Chacin on
May 21, 2010 vs. WSH...according to ESPN's Home Run Tracker, his 471' home run on May 28 at COL, was the
sixth-longest home run in the Majors this season...was 4x4 with two home runs and drove in all three runs in
the Astros' 3-2 win on Aug. 4 at ATL...became the second Houston center fielder in franchise history to go 4x4
or better in a game with two homers...the last to do so was Jimmy Wynn, who also went 4x4 with two home
runs on June 5, 1966 at PIT...had a career-long 10-game hitting streak from Sept. 7-16, during which he hit
.324 (11x34) with three HR and nine RBI...marked the club's only double-digit streak of the season...played in
five minor league games on an injury rehab assignment, hitting .222 (4x18).
2011
Spent the entire season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-
Barre, batting .260 (46-for-177) with 36R, 8 doubles,
16HR and 35RBI...hit .375 (12-for-32) with 2HR vs.
left-handed pitchers and .234 (34-for-145) with
14HR off righties....from 4/17-27, went 10-for-37 with
eight of the hits going for home runs...reached base
safely in 23 consecutive games from 4/9-5/2...named
International League "Batter of the Week" for 5/23-31...Season was cut short on 6/1, injuring his shoulder
while robbing Indianapolis' Andy Marte of a home
run on 5/3...had an MRI on 6/7 that revealed a torn
labrum...underwent season-ending surgery by Dr.
Christopher Ahmad on 6/9...ranked second in the IL
in home runs at the time of the injury.
2010
Batted .144 (15-for-104) with 6 doubles, 3HR, 12RBI and
5SB in 67 games (13 starts in CF, 10 in RF and three in LF)
over four stints (4/15-5/7; 5/23-28; 7/10-19 and 8/2-10/3)
with the Nationals...Drew 25BB in 131 plate appearances, a ratio of 5.24PA
per walk...marked the second-highest such ratio in
the Majors among players with a minimum of 100PA,
trailing only Cleveland's Carlos Santana (5.19PA/BB)...Hit his third career grand slam off Mike Minor in the
second inning on 9/15 at Atlanta, accounting for all
four Nationals runs in a 4-2 victory...Hit .287 (66-for-230) with 17 doubles, 6HR, 21RBI, 16SB
and 35BB in 66 games with AAA Syracuse...recorded
a .348 (23-for-66) average against left-handers with
the Chiefs...Underwent "Tommy John" surgery on his left elbow on 10/13 after suffering the
injury while diving for a ball on 10/2.
2009
In first big league exposure since 2007, enjoyed 3 stints with Washington...hit .247 with 4 home runs and 9 RBI in a
career-best 40 games...showed patience seeing 3.87 pitches per plate appearance and earning one walk every 8.5 plate
appearances...after going 3-for-24 in 13 games during first 2 stints with Nationals, hit .292 (19-for-65) with 3 doubles,
a triple, 4 homers and 8 RBI in 27 Sept./Oct. contests...successfully swiped 6 bases in 7 attempts.
Game-By-Game Highlights: Made spectacular over-the-wall catch to rob Adam Jones of a solo home run, May 23
vs. BAL...posted first multi-homer game with 2 solo blasts, September 12 at FLA...singled to lead off the 9th inning,
was sacrificed to 2nd base, swiped 3rd and scored the decisive run in a 5-4 win on September 23 vs. LAD...down 4-3
and facing a 3-2 count, hit game-ending grand slam off Francisco Rodriguez in Washington's dramatic 7-4 win, which
came in the Nationals' final home game of the 2009 season...in 6-4 win on Oct. 3 at ATL, hit 2nd game-winning homer
of season's final week via opposite-field 2-run 11th-inning blast.
In Minor Leagues: Hit .242 with 13 home runs and 42 RBI in 111 games with Syracuse of the Triple-A International
League...35 stolen bases ranked 4th in the IL and 2nd among Washington minor leaguers...led Syracuse in walks (54)
and runs scored (68)...5 triples matched Pete Orr for Chiefs team lead...earned Syracuse Player of the Month honors
for June (6 homers, 17 RBI, 20 walks and 21 runs scored in 28 games).
2008
Hit 7 home runs, tallied 28 RBI and posted a .367 OBP, thanks to 31 walks, in 43 games with Harrisburg of the Double-A
Eastern League...has season cut short by a fractured right wrist sustained on May 19 at New Britain...hit a 3-run shot
on Opening Day, April 3 vs. Akron...posted 31 walks in first 27 games, then went without a walk in his last 16 contests...
following the season, played winter ball for Caguas of the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League.
2007
After beginning season at Single-A Hagerstown, completed well-earned assent through the Nationals' minor-league
system and reached the big leagues in just 2nd professional season...the Nationals' Minor League Player of the Year
hit .269 with 2 homers and 8 RBI in 15 September contests with Washington...was one of 6 professional players to
tally at least 25 doubles, 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases this season, at any level...the only player to reach 25-
25-25 status at the minor-league level in 2007, Maxwell (25-*29-35, *-includes 2 big league home runs) joined CIN's
Brandon Phillips (26-30-32), FLA's Hanley Ramirez (48-29-51), PHI's Jimmy Rollins (38-30-41), NYM's David Wright
(42-30-34) and ARI's Chris Young (29-32-27) on this short list....made 6 starts, all in CF...started 5 of Washington's
final 7 games, all of which came against NL East Division title contenders PHI and NYM...had contract selected from
Single-A Potomac on September 4...made big league debut as a pinch hitter on September 5 vs. FLA and flew out
deep to the warning track in right-centerfield...first big league hit was a pinch-hit grand slam off Chris Seddon on
September 11 at FLA...the pinch slam came in just 3rd big league at-bat...became the franchise's first player whose
first homer was a grand slam since Scott Sanderson turned the trick September 11, 1982 at CHI off Randy Martz...
was the 3rd member of the Nationals' 2005 First-Year Draft class to reach the big leagues (3B Ryan Zimmerman, LHP
John Lannan)...following the season, hit .207 with 7 doubles, 2 home runs and 15 RBI in 30 games with the Peoria
Javelinas as part of the Arizona Fall League...stole 15 bags and walked 16 times in 30 AFL contests.
Game-By-Game Highlights: Hit a 4th-inning solo home run off 300-game winner Tom Glavine, September 25 at NYM,
en route to Washington's 10-9 win...went 2-for-3 in first career multi-hit effort, September 28 at PHI.
In Minor Leagues: Was named Nationals Minor League Player of the Year after combining to hit .281 with 25 doubles,
27 home runs, 83 RBI and 35 stolen bases with Potomac and Single-A Hagerstown...led Nationals farmhands in homers,
while ranking second in both RBI and steals...hit .301 with 14 homers and 40 RBI in 56 games with Hagerstown
prior to June 11 promotion to Potomac...then hit .263 with 13 homers and 43 RBI in 58 games with the P-Nats...twice
earned Topps Player of the Month honors, winning the award in May (.320, 7 home runs, 18 RBI and 5 steals in 25
South Atlantic League games) and August (.343 , 10 homers, 28 RBI and 10 steals in 27 Carolina League contests)...
with Hagerstown, hit 2 homers, May 12 vs. Hagerstown...while with Potomac, posted at least one RBI in 6 straight
games, 13 total, August 2-8...blasted 2 long balls, August 30 vs. Lynchburg.
2006
In pro debut, played at 3 levels, including Vermont, where he ranked 4th in the short-season NY-P League with a .321
batting average in 45 games...playing for the Lake Monsters, hit first homer as a pro on June 22 at Lowell.
