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Charlie Culberson is returning to the Atlanta Braves on a minor-league contract, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Culberson, who has developed a big league career as a versatile utility player, is set to return as a relief pitcher, according to Heyman.
“Veteran MLB infielder Charlie Culberson is trying to fashion a second career as reliever. Will go to Braves minors camp as pitcher. Lifetime 1.23 ERA in 7 1/3 IP in past mopup spots. Scouting report: ‘Great guy, Super athletic, Throws strikes and has arm strength … Has a shot,'” Heyman wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Culberson, 34, made his MLB debut with the San Francisco Giants in 2012. He has since played for the Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, and the Braves. Some of Culberson's best years came in Atlanta, and although he was not considered a star Culberson still impacted the Braves by providing important depth.
As Heyman noted, Culberson has a 1.23 ERA across 7.1 innings (eight games pitched). Of course, he's only appeared in games when his team either held a huge lead or was trailing by an insurmountable amount of runs. Now he is trying to carve out a career as a reliever which will present different opportunities for him.
Players who have transitioned from hitting to pitching
Culberson isn't expected to offer Shohei Ohtani-caliber production as someone who has hit and pitched. Still, there have been players who changed the direction of their careers by either transitioning from hitting to pitching or pitching to hitting.
Rick Ankiel was originally a pitcher who later become an outfielder. More recently, Anthony Gose, a former position player, restarted his career as a pitcher. So what Culberson is attempting to do has been seen before. It's something that will not be easy, but it can be done.
It should be remembered that most MLB players spent time hitting and pitching in high school, and possibly even college. So it isn't as if they haven't ever done both before. Culberson will be ready to take on this challenge, and perhaps he can carve out a decent career as a full-time relief pitcher.
