Culberson has spent this winter working out at the Maven Baseball Lab, located on the west side of Atlanta. Max Fried, Spencer Strider and A.J. Minter are among the others who have recently worked out at this location.
“I’d love to say I’m a reliever first, and that there is also the option for a team to say, ‘Hey, go play shortstop or left field to gain some flexibility,'” Culberson said. “But the focus has to be on pitching, and that’s where my focus has been, really, since August.”
Culberson has created a lot of memories while playing for the Giants, Rockies, Dodgers, Braves and Rangers over 11 big league seasons. He hit the walk-off homer that legendary broadcaster Vin Scully called during the final regular-season broadcast of Scully's career. Culberson came to Atlanta before the 2018 season and tallied a few clutch homers while helping his hometown team win its first division title since 2013 that same season.
Culberson served as a valuable backup during the 2018 and ’19 seasons, and he was also one of the team’s most likeable players. Fans, media, coaches, teammates and executives appreciated his friendly, upbeat personality. His easy-going approach allowed the Braves to bring him back last year with the understanding he’d only play if there was an emergency.
Now, Atlanta is giving him a chance to prove he can be more than just the guy we saw throw mid-90s fastballs in a few mop-up appearances. When he rejoined Gwinnett in August, he was placed on the development list. This gave him a chance to spend approximately six weeks developing his mechanics and conditioning his arm to pitch.