NORTH PORT, Fla. – In hopes of continuing his big-league career, Charlie Culberson showed up to North Port looking to show the Braves he had something as a pitcher. The Braves did not invite him to big-league camp, so he spent the entire spring on the minor-league side.
On Thursday, the Braves released Culberson, according to the club’s transactions log.
Culberson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he plans to wait and see what other opportunities become available. In the meantime, he’ll stay ready and enjoy the time with family. The Culbersons live in metro Atlanta.
Culberson appeared in three big-league spring games. He allowed six earned runs over two innings.
In his first outing, he tossed a scoreless inning. He then surrendered four earned runs while only recording two outs in his second appearance, and gave up two more while getting only one out in the third.
Before games began, Spencer Strider – a pitcher from whom Culberson received pitching advice – was impressed with the infielder-turned-pitcher.
“He’s super observant and he wants all the information,” Strider said on Feb. 21. “I think he’s got a really good shot. He’s already got a live arm. He’s smart enough to figure out how to become the best version of himself as a pitcher.”
In February, Culberson talked to The AJC about his transition to pitching. He’d thrown a handful of innings in mop-up duty in the majors, but didn’t truly start pitching full-time until last summer.
“I always had an interest in pitching, I always really enjoyed doing it — especially for those mop-up innings that I had at the big-league level,” Culberson said then. “It was just something that I knew that I can do. I know I can go out there and throw strikes. I know I can be a guy that can do it. And I just had faith in myself and my ability. If I knew that I could put that extra work in to doing something — and not taking anything away from any other guy that’s pitched at the major-league level or tried to get there — I just felt like if I put in the work and the time, then why not, right?”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
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