On January 12, news broke that the Braves had signed fan-favorite utility player Charlie Culberson to a minor league deal, with a twist. Instead of bouncing around the infield, he'd be transitioning to pitching.
Since the news broke, there has been plenty of coverage, but Braves fans haven't really gotten to hear from the man himself. Until the last week that is.
On January 24, he joined "Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney" and on February 1 he spoke with Jake Peavy and Matt Vasgersian on MLB Network.
Let's take a look what he had to say.
Charlie Culberson on Baseball Tonight
In both the MLB Network interview and the interview with Buster Olney, he revealed he realized it was time to give pitching a shot after signing back with the Braves.
When he got called up, Alex Anthopoulos was transparent and told him he'd be riding the bench unless there was an injury. In two months he was on the active roster, he only got into one game and got one plate appearance.
"I read the writing on the wall," Culberson said in both interviews. When he signed back with the club in August, he called Anthopoulos about pitching, and AA was completely on board.
He said "I've got nothing to lose and a lot to gain," when it comes to trying out pitching. With his time as a position player drawing to a close, he feels like pitching is a way to prove to himself and his family that he still has big league skills.
Olney also asked him about his comfortability on the mound, which eventually led Culberson to reveal that former 1B Freddie Freeman was constantly asking to pitch. (And apparently, Freeman might have hit 97 MPH on the mound in high school).
Culberson is confident in his pitching abilities. The Georgia native stated, "In my mind, I stand on the top," when Olney asked where he stood evaluating himself.
The pitch that he's focusing on the most is getting his slider to move harder. He noted that as a hitter, a faster slider is harder to hit. He credited Allan Winans for helping him with his changeup grip.
Culberson noted it was his wife's idea to call Anthopoulos after getting cut by the Tampa Bay Rays in Spring Training.
Lastly, Culberson said he didn't rule out strutting after striking out batters, but he did say he'd respect the game.