2023-2: Culberson Returns
Usually an in-season off day for Braves fans is chock-full of one random Twitter user becoming the unintentional star of the show. I’ve seen enough Braves off days to know that being that kind of star should not be your goal or desire.
Off day No. 1 however is the day that former Braves fan favorite Charlie Culberson returns to the organization. It was announced on social media that the career utility man signed a minor league contract with the Braves organization. He’ll most likely begin his current stint with the franchise in AAA-Gwinnett, because there’s really no reason whatsoever to be any lower than that.
He was with the Tampa Bay Rays this spring before being released this past Friday. Wedged between this spring and his last game with the Braves, he spent two seasons with the Texas Rangers.
In Texas, he played just shy of 160 games over the course of 2021 & 2022. With the Rangers he continued the utility trend he started with Atlanta; playing 2nd base, 1st base, 3rd base, outfield, & he even played shortstop once. His utility label didn’t exclude the mound either, he ended his Texas tenure with an ERA of 0.00 in four innings of relief.
The timing of the contract suggests that Atlanta was one of only a handful of teams with mutual interest, if not the only team. It’s less than likely that he was offered an MLB contract by anyone, so if every team interested offered him the same general contract/role, it’s a no-brainer for Chuck to return to an organization he’s comfortable with that’s also considered a contender.
His acquisition puts Atlanta firmly into the “deep” category at middle infield. In AAA & MLB, Atlanta now has: Orlando Arcia, Ozzie Albies, Ehire Adrianza, Vaughn Grissom, Braden Shewmake, Charlie Culberson, & Hoy Park.
Time & time again, Alex Anthopoulos shows us that depth is king in the construction of his ideal roster. By roster, I mean the Atlanta roster as well as the options at AAA-Gwinnett that serve as injury insurance; like Arcia, Cano, & Vaughn in 2022 when Ozzie missed substantial time at 2nd base.
To wrap this up, here’s my favorite Charlie Clutch moment in 2019 during his first stint with the Braves: