In a peculiar move, the Atlanta Braves designated infielder Charlie Culberson for assignment on Sunday. Culberson was a supplementary first-round pick by the SF Giants in 2007 and reached the majors with the team in 2012. Shortly after Culberson's big-league debut, the Giants traded him to the Rockies for second baseman Marco Scutaro. Scutaro was a sensation with the Giants and helped lead them to a World Series victory that season.
The decision to designate Culberson for assignment was not extremely surprising. He had been on Atlanta's roster for nearly a month and had yet to appear in a game. However, the timing of the move, which was on Father's Day, complicated the team's pregame plans. Culberson's father had been scheduled to throw out the first pitch in Atlanta's game on Sunday. The team canceled the plans with Culberson's father, and outfielder Michael Harris II's dad will throw out the first pitch instead.
Culberson appeared in parts of every big-league season from 2012-2016 between stints with the Giants, Rockies, and Dodgers. However, he found a home in Atlanta in 2018. Culberson hit .270/.326/.466 with 18 doubles, two triples, and 12 home runs in 113 games. The Rome, Georgia native was excellent against left-handed pitching and showcased incredible defensive versatility.
He remained productive in a similar (albeit smaller) role with Atlanta in the following season, but by 2020, he had been relegated to a minuscule role. Following the season, he signed a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers, where he spent the past two seasons as a solid bench bat. He hit .246/.292/.373 with 21 doubles and seven home runs in 395 plate appearances while appearing in games at every position except for catcher and center field.
Culberson signed a minor-league deal with the Rays heading into this season but was released during spring training. He quickly inked a minor-league contract with Atlanta and was added to the MLB roster on May 19th. The front office must have valued Culberson's presence in the clubhouse, though, because he posted a .489 OPS at Triple-A and was never utilized in a game after his call-up.
This could very well be the end of Charlie Culberson's big-league career, which could make him the last member of the Giants 2007 MLB Draft class to be on a big-league roster. It's hard to imagine many people saw that coming since the SF Giants drafted Madison Bumgarner with the 10th overall pick in that year's draft as well.
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