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Charlie Maxwell Passes Away

By Nick Deeds | December 28, 2024 at 4:17pm CDT

Two-time All-Star Charlie Maxwell has passed away, the Tigers announced today. The longtime Detroit outfielder was 97 years old.

A lifelong Michigan resident, Maxwell played college ball at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, working primarily as a pitcher during that time. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1945 and spent two years in the military before being discharged and joining the Red Sox minor league system as a pitcher, though he appeared in just ten games before converting to the outfield. Maxwell made his major league debut in 1950 with a three-game cup of coffee that saw him draw a walk and score a run but strike out three times without recording a hit in nine trips to the plate.

Maxwell bounced between the big league Red Sox and the club’s minor league system with lackluster results at the big league level for a number of years, hitting just .203/.289/.285 in parts of four seasons with the club while finding himself unable to secure a regular role. That all changed in 1955, when the Red Sox sold him to the Orioles. He made just four trips to the plate in Baltimore before being sold a second time, this time to his hometown Tigers. Maxwell’s career took off virtually from the moment he set foot in Detroit. Though he only appeared in 55 games for the club during the 1955 campaign, he made the most of every opportunity given to him with a solid .266/.325/.541 slash line that included 18 home runs in just 122 trips to the plate.

That substantial power earned Maxwell the Tigers’ starting left field job the following year, and he responded with the first All-Star appearance of his career. The slugger slashed an excellent .326/.414/.534 with 28 homers and more walks (79) than strikeouts (74). While standout performances from teammates Al Kaline and Frank Lary somewhat overshadowed Maxwell’s fantastic season, he nonetheless managed to earn some down-ballot consideration for the AL MVP award. The 1956 season was more of the same in many ways for Maxwell. While his numbers (.276/.377/.482 in 138 games) took a bit of a step back from his first season as a regular, Maxwell earned another All-Star appearance and some down-ballot AL MVP consideration despite being outmatched by fantastic seasons from teammates Kaline and Jim Bunning.

Those back-to-back All-Star campaigns were the strongest of Maxwell’s career, and he found himself comparing favorably with some of the league’s best players at the time. His 52 home runs across those two seasons were good for the 15th highest total in the majors, leaving him sandwiched between Hall of Famers Yogi Berra (54) and Kaline (50) on the league leaderboard. His 13.2% walk rate was the tenth-highest figure in the majors over those two seasons, and had more advanced metrics like wRC+ existed at the time Maxwell’s 140 figure for those two years would’ve put him just a hair behind the production of Hall of Famer Frank Robinson (141) over that same period.

Maxwell’s efforts over the remainder of his tenure in Detroit never quite resulted in a season that dominant again, but he still held his own at the plate with a solid .250/.348/.440 slash line with the Tigers from 1958 to 1961, a stretch which included a 31-homer campaign in 1959 and a third season where he garnered down-ballot MVP consideration in 1960. Maxwell’s tenure with the Tigers came to an end in 1962, however, as he hit just .194/.273/.269 in 30 games with the club before being traded to the White Sox.

Maxwell enjoyed something of a late-career resurgence upon arriving in Chicago and slashed a respectable .269/.382/.441 across three seasons as a part-time player for the club before hanging up the spikes two games into his age-37 season in Chicago. In all, Maxwell appeared in 1,133 games during his time in the majors while collecting 532 RBI, 148 home runs and 856 hits. He was a lifetime .264/.360/.451 hitter in 3,796 big league plate appearances. MLBTR sends our condolences to Maxwell’s family, friends, and loved ones.

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View Comments (57)
Post a Comment

57 Comments

  1. tigertom0210

    6 months ago

    “532 home runs”?

    Reply
    • rct

      6 months ago

      With only 856 hits! A true three outcome player.

      4
      Reply
    • manfraud

      6 months ago

      Absolute monstrous hit/HR ratio

      Reply
  2. Fozzie Bear

    6 months ago

    Nickname was Paw Paw in honor of his hometown.

    5
    Reply
    • SteamyNipsMcCronk

      6 months ago

      I thought it was just what his grandkids called him. Nickname longevity.

      1
      Reply
    • For Love of the Game

      6 months ago

      I never heard him called Paw Paw, but rather the “Sunday Punch” because he had a reputation for coming through in Sunday games. But he was from Paw Paw, Michigan. I have his 1961 baseball card. RIP.

      1
      Reply
  3. Hyatt Visa

    6 months ago

    532 homers? He should be in the HOF

    Reply
    • Yankee Clipper

      6 months ago

      One HR out of every 6 ABs…. And people said Barry Bonds was good!

      3
      Reply
      • letitbelowenstein

        6 months ago

        Only people who said Barry Bonds was good were those who ignored cheating.

        Reply
        • Keithyim

          6 months ago

          lol. Bonds was great and cheating.

          4
          Reply
        • Ironman78

          6 months ago

          Hof before that

          1
          Reply
  4. rememberthecoop

    6 months ago

    Nick, you have a typo. He did not end up with anywhere near 532 homers.

    Reply
  5. rememberthecoop

    6 months ago

    How did you know Charlie?

    1
    Reply
  6. Randog650

    6 months ago

    Your friend? Seriously? Is there anyone that is a current or former mlb player you don’t know?

    1
    Reply
  7. Gunner Prince

    6 months ago

    It seemed like Charlie had a knack for hitting HRs on Sundays.

    8
    Reply
  8. RoastGobot

    6 months ago

    Jesus 532 homers from 856 hits what a slugger

    Reply
  9. Hyatt Visa

    6 months ago

    Should be 532 RBI…

    3
    Reply
  10. heinie manush

    6 months ago

    “Sunday Charlie Maxwell” used to kill the Yankees, especially on the sabbath .

    6
    Reply
    • darthdragula

      6 months ago

      heinie manush…..the Sabbath is in Saturday.

      Reply
  11. warnbeeb

    6 months ago

    As a kid it was always fun to follow the Tigers on Sunday afternoons. Especially if Frank Lary was pitching. Lary would win and Charlie would hit a HR.

    6
    Reply
  12. Motown is My Town

    6 months ago

    40 of his 148 career home runs were hit on a Sunday… pretty remarkable for ‘Ol PawPaw Maxwell.

    8
    Reply
    • Arnold Ziffel

      6 months ago

      He was a good, but not great player, I remember hi
      M frommmy cards.

      1
      Reply
  13. runningwithnailclippers

    6 months ago

    I know you guys are having a bit of fun at the authors expense, but this is an article about a player who passed away. Chill out a bit? Show some respect?

    8
    Reply
  14. Old York

    6 months ago

    Charlie Maxwell’s 1955 and 1956 seasons don’t get the love they deserve when you look back on baseball history. If we use modern metrics, his 140 wRC+ in that span puts him in elite company, just a tick behind Hall of Famer Frank Robinson (141). Maxwell’s 13.2% walk rate shows how sharp his eye was at the plate—well above the league average of around 8%. Add in his 52 home runs over those two seasons, and it’s clear he was the kind of power-and-patience hitter who’d be a star in today’s game.

    5
    Reply
  15. Mercenary.Freddie.Freeman

    6 months ago

    Never heard of this guy but he had some decent numbers he put up. Probably be getting paid 6-10 million a year with these ridiculous new contracts.

    2
    Reply
  16. davidk1979

    6 months ago

    He didn’t hit 500 plus homers he hit 148

    Reply
  17. Fernando P

    6 months ago

    I’ve use Charlie Maxwell often on the Immaculate Grid when needing a 30 homer hitter or AS. He isn’t often remembered, but he had some good seasons. RIP Charlie Maxwell.

    2
    Reply
    • cpdpoet

      6 months ago

      Have had him a couple times on WIS.
      He had a very good 5yr run.

      Reply
  18. Jean-Claude

    6 months ago

    He had 7 HRs and 18 RBI in 1955, not 18 HRs.

    1
    Reply
  19. HalosHeavenJJ

    6 months ago

    Nice write up.

    A long career playing close to your family is a dream. He lived it.

    RIP.

    3
    Reply
  20. mwest54

    6 months ago

    He was a late-inning defensive replacement in the first game I ever went to, with the ’63 White Sox. His was also among the first baseball cards I ever owned as a kid. RIP!

    4
    Reply
  21. sascoach2003

    6 months ago

    RIP. A very underrated player in his day.

    6
    Reply
  22. jorge78

    6 months ago

    RIP Charlie…..

    2
    Reply
  23. Non Roster Invitee

    6 months ago

    Good get by the Tigers from Baltimore. Some nice seasons in Detroit.
    I’d take 97 in a heartbeat.
    I have a gorgeous 1963 Topps PSA graded 9 of Maxwell.
    RIP Charlie

    4
    Reply
    • rule78.1

      6 months ago

      Another beauty is the 1959 Topps Pitchers Beware card #34 with Kaline and Maxwell on it.

      2
      Reply
    • kroeg49

      6 months ago

      Great card of Charlie in a White Sox uniform.

      1
      Reply
  24. azbobbop

    6 months ago

    Sunday Charlie Maxwell. Yankee Killer

    2
    Reply
  25. kgcubs

    6 months ago

    Aloha folks,

    RIP Charlie.

    Of course I was not around during his career but got into baseball cards because of my dad. So wanting to try and complete say the 1952 Topps set minus the rare scare high series that includes Mantle, just recently I was able to get a nice 52′ Maxwell card. He was hard to get, I believe a short print card. Mahalo

    4
    Reply
    • McQueen

      6 months ago

      @kgcubs I literally was talking to my dad about Charlie Maxwell the other day. He was a topic of conservation as I have been looking to help dad finish his 52 Topps set and having a hard time finding this card. Luckily dad has a Mantle. I looked up Charlie Maxwell and was surprised to see he was still alive at the time. Good long life, hope he lived it to the fullest. RIP Mr. Maxwell.

      3
      Reply
      • kgcubs

        6 months ago

        Aloha McQueen, that is a neat story! So cool your father has the Mantle from the tough 4 series of that set! I have so many of those high series cards but figured I’ll concentrate on the first 310. Take care now and Happy New Year! Mahalo

        1
        Reply
  26. Baseball Purist

    6 months ago

    18 hrs in 122 abs? That’s not a typo? He came up and went scorched earth. Record blasting pace.

    Reply
  27. The Natural

    6 months ago

    Always remembered him from my baseball cards because he was listed as being from Paw Paw, Michigan.

    6
    Reply
    • Prunella Vulgaris

      6 months ago

      He became the mayor of Paw Paw.

      1
      Reply
  28. all in the suit that you wear

    6 months ago

    RIP

    2
    Reply
  29. letitbelowenstein

    6 months ago

    RIP, Paw Paw. 97 is a heck of a life.

    3
    Reply
    • For Love of the Game

      6 months ago

      Nice screen name. I remember John Lowenstein and “Let it be Lowenbrau,” and you mashed them up!

      Reply
  30. Melchez17

    6 months ago

    I will say it again. MLBTR should do a monthly focus on an MLB player of the past. Celebrate them while they are alive. Go out and do an interview letting them know we are thinking of them. It would be amazing to hear their stories.
    Bill Greason and Art Shallock just turned 100.
    I’m a school teacher with a degree in History. Offer me a competitive wage (LOL, that should be easy) and I would gladly do it and go to their homes for an interview. I’m 60 years old, so it would be an amazing early retirement job.

    7
    Reply
    • kroeg49

      6 months ago

      I hope you get the gig. Too many from my past have been totally forgotten.

      3
      Reply
    • El Kabong

      6 months ago

      With Charlie Maxwell’s death, only 110 MLB players whose careers began before 1960 are left. Two started in the 1940s (Bobby Shantz and Tommy “Buckshot” Brown). Shantz lives near me and has had a fantastic life in baseball and beyond. He is the last living Major Leaguer to have played for Connie Mack. His next birthday will be his 100th.

      5
      Reply
  31. sergefunction

    6 months ago

    Detroit legend mainly for a couple of specific reasons noted above, and a very nice person.

    Reply
  32. Niekro floater

    6 months ago

    97 is a great run. Old time baseball. Condolences to his family n friends. RIP

    1
    Reply
  33. watchingthefray

    6 months ago

    He was well regarded in Chicago, prominently known as Paw Paw, the Michigan town which he was from, I do recall.

    Reply
  34. GarryHarris

    6 months ago

    I’ve always wondered what the careers of Charlie Maxwell, Irv Noren, Bob Cerv and other exceptional players of the 1950s had their organizations gave them a full time chance either earlier or later in their careers. MLB couldn’t get out of their own way in the 1950s.

    Reply
  35. This one belongs to the Reds

    6 months ago

    RIP.

    1
    Reply
  36. pdqguy70

    6 months ago

    Rip Charlie , you were before my time , but still sad to see . Decent player

    1
    Reply
  37. Pete'sView

    6 months ago

    I grew up on the East Coast and hated the Yankees more than any other team. I spent many afternoons at the old Yankee Stadium and the one team that could regularly beat the Yankees were the Tigers.

    So I went to as many Tiger-Yankee games as possible, and I got to see Charlie “Paw Paw” Maxwell hammer the Yanks—along with Kaline, Lary, Kuenn, Tuttle, Frank Bolling,Foytack, Hoeft and others. I’ll always have a soft spot for Charlie Maxwell and the Tigers.

    And I notice further down in the comments that someone mentioned a lot of his HRs were on Sundays. Correct! And I saw a bunch of them against the Yankees.

    2
    Reply
  38. User 3594734386

    6 months ago

    Grateful MLB has always valued preservation of statistics. Thanks Nick for putting in to words “Paw Paw” M’s career journey through his many statistical accomplishments. Great read.

    RIP Charlie. Condolences to family.

    Reply

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