ATLANTA – Former Brave Charlie “Clutch” Culberson is heading to North Port to try out for the 2024 team as a pitcher! Charlie joins Nick Cellini and Chris Dimino in studio to talk about heading to North Port for Spring Training, why he feels he will be successful, and remembers his time with Braves.
LISTEN TO THE WHOLE INTERVIEW!
NICK CELLINI:
And so now, yes. Here you are. What…what led to…first of all this decision, I know that you did it here and there in the major leagues, but what made you want to try this as a full time position?
CHARLIE CULBERSON:
Yeah. I mean, let’s be honest, like everybody’s career changes and I didn’t really have that super luxury of finishing out as the utility player that I was at the big league level and teams just kind of go on, they move on. Unless you’re…unless you’re the superstar that’s playing every day, like they’re going to find new guys that fill that spot. Like, I feel like I’m capable of continuing to be that, you know, solid utility player here, but again, teams just move on, they change their mind and I had to adjust.
CHRIS DIMINO:
Yeah, we’ll talk about the adjustments and really what your plan is, but there is this thing, the 34 year old sort of utility guy, they almost will say give me the 22 year old guy because the clock thing isn’t really what it used to be keeping guys down in the minors and they say for a little bit less money and for a guy that might be a little bit more upside, we’re going to bring this guy up and you sort of become dinosaurs to be the guy who might be the 34 / 35 year-old utility guy on the team these days?
CHARLIE CULBERSON:
Yeah, I mean, I agree with that, but there’s also a part too, that’s like there’s experience. I haven’t played a ton at the Major League level. I’m not getting 700 plate appearances… I’m going through all the workouts preparing, but obviously not seeing the field a ton, so there’s something to that.
