On Monday, the Atlanta Braves opted to non-tender popular utility player Charlie Culberson.
Charlie Culberson was projected to receive $1.8 million in arbitration for the 2020 season. The Atlanta Braves acquired Culberson in December of 2017 in a trade with the Dodgers that sent Adrian Gonzalez, Scott Kazmir, and Brandon McCarthy to the Braves in exchange for Matt Kemp.
On Monday, Culberson became one of the victims of the non-tender deadline.
#Braves Non-Tender Three Players: pic.twitter.com/MAccfbISTz
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) December 3, 2019
In 2018 Culberson endeared himself to Braves fans with big hits in clutch spots, earning the nickname, “Charlie Clutch.” He hit a freakish .397 with runners in scoring position that season.
Sure, it was a small sample size of 68 at-bats, but he found a way to get a hit or get on base when it counted. His OBP was .462 and he slugged .647 with RISP. “Charlie Clutch” indeed.
Culberson ended the 2018 season with a slash line of .270/.326/.466 over 296 at-bats. Between 2012-2017 Culberson had only hit six career homers.
He ended the 2018 season with 12 dingers. Again, that was in only 296 at-bats.
Different Verse, Different Song
The 2019 season saw Culberson earn a career-high, $1,395,000. His production was a completely different story.
He didn’t have much of an opportunity to get a lot of playing time during the first half of the season. Charlie only managed 11 at-bats for the month of April, 32 in May, and 16 in June. By this point, he was hitting .333 with a .379 on-base.
August was when they needed him the most as Nick Markakis, Ender Inciarte, and Dansby Swanson all fell to injuries. This is where Culberson would earn his paycheck. He received 49 at-bats in August and hit .163 for the month.
The Braves eventually called up Rafael Ortega and signed Adeiny Hechavarria to cover the holes that Culberson could not fill… holes exacerbated thanks to being hit in the face by a pitch in mid-September.