The once and future Brave. Charlie’s baseball-reference page tells the story of his season with Hemingwayan concision:

  • March 24, 2023: Released by the Tampa Bay Rays.
  • March 28, 2023: Signed as a Free Agent with the Atlanta Braves.
  • June 25, 2023: Granted Free Agency.
  • June 27, 2023: Signed as a Free Agent with the Atlanta Braves.
  • August 3, 2023: Granted Free Agency.
  • August 4, 2023: Signed as a Free Agent with the Atlanta Braves.
  • November 6, 2023 Granted Free Agency.

1 G, 1 PA, 1 AB, 1 H.

He first came to us in the 2017 Matt Kemp trade, a total salary dump where we unloaded Kemp on his original team, the Dodgers, as Los Angeles took Kemp while unloading Adrian Gonzalez and Scott Kazmir (whom the Braves released before they ever played a game) plus Brandon McCarthy, whom the Braves hoped could contribute but who just couldn’t stay healthy.

The Braves had gotten Kemp the previous year in an even more useless dump of toxic assets, as he was swapped for Hector Olivera.

But while he seemed like a throw-in, the light-hitting utility infielder quickly endeared himself to fans in Atlanta, partly because of his uncanny resemblance to Dansby Swanson, and partly because he played all over the diamond (everywhere but center field) while producing above-average defense.

Indeed, for his 11-year career, Culberson has amassed 1312 plate appearances, 36% of them in a Braves uniform. With the Braves, he’s hit .267/315/.456; with everyone else, he’s hit .238/.281/.347. (Most of that was spent with Texas and Colorado, so it’s not like he’s just been in pitchers’ parks.)

So, Charlie has been good to the Braves, and the Braves have been pretty good to Charlie. (Though it was a little gut-wrenching when they DFA’d him a few hours before his dad was going to throw out the first pitch on Father’s Day.) But while he spent much of the year on the team’s nominal roster, he only got one appearance with the team, suiting up as the designated hitter in the ninth inning of an 8-1 loss against the White Sox; he never once brought his glove out to the field.

Seeing the writing on the wall, he picked up a different glove and tried pitching; here’s one of his relief appearances in September. I think this is the kind of thing that could give him a long career in indy ball, if he wants it, like it did for Mark Lemke, but, barring a miracle, it’s not a road back to the big leagues.

Whenever Charlie hangs up his spikes, I think he could be a great coach, and I would expect the Braves would hire him as a roving instructor in a second. If his playing career is soon to be over, his baseball career could well be just beginning.