Charlie Culberson glad to play for his hometown team
The Rome native and former Calhoun High standout talks about his journey to being a Brave.
The Rome native talks about his journey to being a Brave.
ATLANTA — Dec. 16, 2017, was a special day in the life of Charlie Culberson.
The Rome-born infielder found out from his agent that he would be going to the Atlanta Braves, the team he grew up rooting for.
“It’s a major highlight for me,” Culberson said. “I grew up dreaming of playing for the Braves. It feels great being part of this organization.”
Culberson came to Atlanta in the trade that sent Matt Kemp to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Scott Kazmir, Adrian Gonzalez and Brandon McCarthy also came from the Dodgers. Culberson and McCarthy, though, are the only two from the deal remaining on the Braves’ roster.
This past Thursday marked another accomplishment for Culberson. It was the second time in his career that he made an opening day roster.
Culberson got the most out of the opportunity, entering the game as a defensive replacement at third in the ninth inning. He then led off the bottom half with a single and was one of the two runners on base for Nick Markakis’ gamewinning home run.
A first-round pick out of Calhoun High School in 2007, Culberson came into the season having hit .231 over parts of five seasons with the San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies and the Dodgers.
“He wasn’t given any guarantees, but he came in and worked,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He showed up ready to work and did it. He’s a versatile guy that can play all of the infield positions. A guy like that is very valuable.”
Versatile enough that he was listed as the Braves’ emergency catcher for Friday night’s game against the Phillies behind Chris Stewart and starter Kurt Suzuki. Suzuki was hit with a pitch on his right hand in the fourth and eventually came out of the game, but Stewart went the rest of the way behind the plate.
We caught up with Culberson on opening day to chat about his life in baseball:
What’s your favorite youth sports memory? When I was 12, our team played at Cooperstown. We met so many people and got to trade pins. It was one of the best experiences in my life. And, as a kid, we came to the 1996 Olympics, and that was fun.
Who did you look up to growing up? It was my dad first. He played five years professionally with the Giants and Royals. I wanted to be like my dad and play in the big leagues. He opened the facility in Rome when he got out of baseball and has been teaching ever since. He’s a great guy, and I wouldn’t be where I am without him.
Which players, other than your dad, did you look up to? I was a big Braves fan growing up, and I was an infielder, so it was Chipper Jones for me. My grandparents were in Washington, so they watched a lot of Mariners. I loved Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey. They were my three.
What is the toughest adversity you have faced in your career, and how did you get through it? I’ve been through a lot these past six seasons. I’ve been up and down from Triple-A to the big leagues. That’s been my journey. But today is a new day. I’m very fortunate with it all. I’m married with three kids and I still get to play baseball for a living. It could be way worse. My family gets me through. I play for them and I’ll never complain.
Was there a moment when you felt like giving up? There’s a lot of difficult times. The travel and being away is tough sometimes. The little injuries. I try not to let those thoughts creep into my mind, but I won’t lie and say they don’t. I’d say recovering from my back surgery a couple of years ago would be it. I wasn’t sure, some days, what baseball had for me. Yet, I’m still here.
What’s your favorite road city? I had a nice memory in Baltimore. I hit my first homer at Camden Yards. I love San Francisco. It’s a great city, and the ballpark is amazing. The fans are always on us there.
What’s your favorite Atlanta restaurant? It’d be too easy to say Waffle House or Chick-fil-A, but they’re so good. I can’t eat them too often, but I always feel at home at Waffle House, and Chick-fil-A is good. But I recently enjoyed C Ellet’s in the Battery. It’s really good.
What does being a Brave mean to you? Everything. I grew up a Braves fan. I’ve always had people ask me about coming here, and I’d say that it’s out of my control. I’ve lived in Atlanta the past four seasons. I got married here. I love playing for this city, my family and friends. Seeing my name on a Braves jersey is special, and I’ll never forget it.