Charlie Culberson has been a professional bat for more than 16 years. He is going to the Braves Spring Training camp with the intention of earning a job in the bullpen.
Culberson’s pitching prowess is nothing to laugh at, despite the fact that it appears to be simply one MLB player doing everything in his power to continue playing in the league.
Even though it would be awesome for Culberson to break through into the Braves bullpen, he may have other goals in mind than just being one of the select few MLB players to successfully transition from position player to hitter.
As a matter of fact, Culberson’s move to the mound may be related to MLB’s Lifetime Pass.
Presenting the golden card at the team’s ticket office is all that is required of the bearer in order to redeem tickets.
While the pass is technically available to anyone at MLB’s discretion, MLB players and front office staff must meet certain requirements in order to receive one.
This criterion is eight years of service time for MLB players. The threshold for front office staff in MLB is 25 years.
Though he made his Major League Baseball debut almost a decade ago, the 35-year-old hasn’t been a regular on MLB rosters. Culberson only has seven years and 123 days of MLB service time, which is 50 days short of qualifying for MLB’s Lifetime Pass because of his ups and downs from the major leagues to the minors.
Despite playing in just one game last season, the Georgia native was still able to accrue 72 days of service time with the Braves, but it seemed unlikely that Culberson would repeat that accomplishment with any MLB team in 2024 or later.
Despite making his MLB debut nearly ten years ago, the 35-year-old hasn’t been a fixture on MLB rosters. Due to his ups and downs from the major leagues to the minors, Culberson only has seven years and 123 days of MLB service time, which puts him 50 days shy of being eligible for MLB’s Lifetime Pass.
The Georgia native was able to collect 72 days of service time with the Braves despite appearing in just one game during the previous season, but it didn’t seem probable that Culberson would duplicate that feat with any MLB team in 2024 or later.
Matt Carpenter has signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals, the team announced. Since Atlanta released him last month, he was already under contract through 2024; therefore, the Cards will only be required to pay him the prorated league minimum for whatever time he is on the roster, with that amount deducted from what Atlanta pays. The Cards’ 40-man roster is officially complete.
The 38-year-old Carpenter is making a comeback to the company where he made the most of his career. He was selected in the 2009 Cardinals draft and played major league ball with the big club until 2021. During that period, he participated in 1,329 games, hitting 155 home runs and slashing.262/.368/.449 for a 125 wRC+. In that span, he was named to three All-Star teams and took home the Silver Slugger medal.
In the latter three of those seasons, he produced very little; in 2021, for example, his hitting line was just.169/.305/.275. The Cards choose to go with the $2 million buyout over a $18.5 million club option for 2022. Despite his best efforts to improve his swing as a free agent, he was ultimately signed to a minor league contract with the Rangers that winter. He reported to their Triple-A team, where he played 21 games and slashed.275/.379/.613, showcasing his new swing to great effect.
In spite of his outstanding performance, Carpenter was released by the Rangers and signed a major league contract with the Yankees. He was possibly the world’s hottest batter for a brief period of time. With the Pinstripes, he hit 15 home runs in 47 games while putting up an incredible.305/.412/.727 line. Sadly, he fractured his foot early in August after fouling a ball off his foot, ending his spectacular show.
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