The Oakland A’s drafted Bruce Maxwell in the second round of the 2012 draft and then spent the next few seasons converting the first baseman to catcher. Maxwell took to it well and made his major league debut in 2016, appearing in 33 games and hitting for a perfectly respectable 102 wRC+ in 101 plate appearances. To spare all-star Steven Vogt from potential injury, the A’s made Maxwell their regular catcher in 2017, and this is where the Bruce Maxwell story stops becoming about baseball.
Baseball fans likely know Maxwell for two events in 2017. The first was Maxwell protesting racism and social injustice by kneeling during the national anthem during a game against the Rangers in September, becoming the first major league player to do so.