After 11 big league seasons and one last attempt as a relief pitcher this spring, Atlanta Braves fan favorite Charlie Culberson announced his retirement, according to Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Charlie Culberson, the Calhoun High alum and former Brave, announced his retirement just now. Yesterday, I spoke with him about how he stuck with the grind to play in parts of 11 MLB seasons, what he learned, what is next and why he is without regrets. https://t.co/HJC0uRrsB8
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) September 19, 2024
The 35-year-old had two separate stints with the Braves (2018-2020, 2023) and also played for the San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Texas Rangers at the big league level.
Former Brave Charlie Culberson announces retirement after a fantastic career
Charlie Culberson debuted in 2012 with the San Francisco Giants. In his first three seasons, he was a career .221 hitter with 52 OPS+ in 360 PAs. In 2015, he didn't appear in a single MLB game.
For most players, this normally means that your big league career is over. However, for Culberson, it was just getting started. He re-emerged with the Dodgers in 2016 and was forced into a starting role in the 2017 playoffs after Corey Seager missed the 2017 NLCS with an injury.
Following the 2017 season, he was traded to the Braves, where he became a fan favorite, thanks in no small part to two walk-off homers in a span of a week, something he had developed a propensity to do even before donning a Braves uniform. This earned him the nickname "Charlie Clutch".
The utility player had a fantastic 2018, finishing with 12 homers and a 111 OPS+, both career bests.
After 2018, however, Culberson struggled. After a mediocre 2019, Culberson only made a few cameos for the 2020 club before heading to Texas for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Culberson returned to the Braves in 2023, where he rode the bench for over 70 days, making one appearance on the big league squad. He pinch-hit and earned an infield single in what ended up being his final big league at bat.
Charlie Culberson's first at-bat in a @Braves uniform with fans in attendance since 2019.
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) July 16, 2023
Hit. pic.twitter.com/orSyuzzXv9
After being sent back to the minors, Culberson tried his hand at pitching and impressed the Braves enough for the club to give him a shot in Spring Training. Unfortunately, this is where Culby's professional baseball career came to an end as the club cut him in mid-March.
Culberson finished his career with a .248/.294/.386 (81 OPS+) in 586 games. He also had a 1.23 ERA in eight big league outings on the mound.
While Culberson had a fantastic career, it is a shame that he wasn't able to get another 50 days of service time, which would have given him a fantastic perk.
We congratulate Charlie on a fantastic big league career, and wish him well in his retirement!