He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.

Baxter was born and raised in the Queens, New York neighborhood of Whitestone, where he attended St. Luke's Parish school and part of the Bayside Little League.

[4][5] Baxter's contract was purchased by the Padres and he was promoted to the major leagues on September 6, 2010[6] and hit a pop fly to second base off Vicente Padilla of the Los Angeles Dodgers in his first at-bat, as a pinch hitter.

He appeared in 9 games that season, all as a pinch hitter, with his only hit being on September 26 off Francisco Cordero of the Cincinnati Reds.

After being placed on the 60-day disabled list in March 2011, Baxter began his rehab in Single-A, before being claimed off waivers by the New York Mets on July 22.

In his first game, he hit an RBI double against San Diego to bring the Mets closer to what would end up being a come-from-behind victory.

On September 28, 2011, the final game of the Mets' season, Baxter hit his first career major league home run.

On June 1, during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Baxter made a difficult catch against the outfield wall, injuring his shoulder in the process.

[9] Baxter also tied a New York Mets franchise record for most walks in a game, regardless of the number of innings played.