Charlie Culberson

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Colorado Rockies #16 prospect in 2014
  Culberson has baseball bloodlines. His father Charles was the Giants' 16th-round pick in 1984 and coached in the White Sox system, and his grandfather Leon was an outfielder who spent six seasons with the Red Sox and Senators. The Giants drafted Charlie as a sandwich pick in 2007, then traded him to the Rockies for second baseman Marco Scutaro in July 2012. He began 2013 at Triple-A Colorado Springs and made his Rockies debut on July 29. He played more shortstop than second base for the Sky Sox, and he further enhanced his versatility by logging time in center field. He played just four games at second base with the Rockies and 27 in left field, where his inexperience showed on his reads and routes. The athletic Culberson runs and throws well, feasts on fastballs down and in and has surprising power to right-center field. At Triple-A, he improved at staying back and letting the ball travel, which opened up the whole field. With one option remaining, Culberson will compete for a utility role in 2014, which is likely his ceiling at this point.
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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #11 prospect in 2012
  Culberson's father Charles was the Giants' 16th-round pick in 1984 and coached in the White Sox system. His grandfather Leon played in the major leagues, and he's also related to the Sislers (Hall of Famer George, former all-star Dick, big leaguer Dave). Culberson's baseball bloodlines manifest themselves in his hard-nosed approach and competitiveness. He looks the part of a big leaguer and coaches love the way he comes to play every day. A surprise supplemental first-round pick in 2007, Culberson had a breakout 2010 season in high Class A but had a rough transition to Double-A last year. He responded by working harder and was instrumental in helping Richmond reach the Eastern League finals as a wild-card team. Culberson is a streaky hitter who rakes against lefties but misses fastballs and overstrides when he goes cold. He has trouble laying off sliders even when he's in a hot streak, and he's aggressive to a fault. When everything falls into place, the ball jumps off his bat. Despite average speed, he is an opportunistic runner with good instincts on the bases. After struggling at shortstop and third base earlier in his pro career, Culberson has found his niche at second base. He's a solid defender with better arm strength and ability to turn double plays than most players at his position. Culberson might require a little more time to blossom, but scouts like his body, strength and aptitude. Though he still has youth on his side, he'll need to make progress to avoid being passed by 2011 first-rounder Joe Panik. Added to the 40-man roster in November, Culberson may repeat Double-A at the beginning of 2012.
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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #8 prospect in 2011
  A surprise supplemental first-round pick in 2007, Culberson played close to home for two seasons at low Class A Augusta but couldn't enjoy the experience. He hit a combined .241/.299/.311 and missed a month in 2008 when he broke his hand punching a papertowel dispenser. He has never lacked for bat speed, and his hard-nosed attitude helped him re-establish himself as a prospect with a strong 2010 season in high Class A. He has excellent bloodlines: His father Charles was a Giants minor league outfielder, his grandfather Leon played in the majors, and he's also related to the Sislers (Hall of Famer George, former all-star Dick and big leaguer Dave). Culberson has a powerful swing and strong hands to go along with fast-twitch athleticism. Though he's an aggressive hitter who doesn't walk much, his improved plate discipline and pitch recognition skills keyed the progress he made last year. He has average power and solid speed. Drafted as a shortstop, Culberson moved to third base in 2009 and second base last year. His strong arm and quick release make him an asset on double plays. Culberson showed his breakout was no fluke by batting .366/.394/.591 in the Arizona Fall League. He has caught up to fellow 2007 sandwich pick and second baseman Nick Noonan, and the Giants will have to find at-bats for both in Double-A this year.
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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #27 prospect in 2009
  Culberson teamed in the Augusta middle infield with Nick Noonan last season, but he couldn't match the success of his roommate and fellow 2007 sandwich pick. Culberson, who signed for $607,500 as the 51st overall choice, hit .104 in April. Playing in front of friends and family only increased the pressure on the Georgia native, whose father Charles was the Giants' 16th-round pick in 1984. His baseball bloodlines run deep, as his grandfather Leon played in the majors and he's also related to the Sislers (Hall of Famer George, former all-star Dick and big leaguer Dave). Culberson eventually righted himself, hitting .274 over the rest of the season, though he missed all of August when he hurt his hand punching a paper-towel dispenser in frustration. He did return for instructional league and played well there. Culberson generates a lot of bat speed and has strong hands. He hit a few line-drive homers last season, and the ball jumps off his bat when his swing stays nice and compact. Developing more patience at the plate is a must. He has below-average speed but makes up for it by being aggressive on the bases. Culberson isn't a prototypical shortstop, but he has good feet and gets off strong throws despite an unorthodox release. He let his offensive woes affect him at times and committed 35 errors in 79 games at short, many coming when he tried to make highlight plays instead of eating the ball. He probably would fit better at second base, but Noonan's presence means the Giants will keep Culberson at shortstop for at least a while longer. He consistently comes out for early work and scores points for his attitude. He probably showed enough in the second half to graduate to high Class A.
• 
  Ranked San Francisco Giants #14 prospect in 2008
  Culberson went 51st overall in the 2007 draft, higher than most draft experts expected, but the Giants didn't have another selection until the fifth round and didn't figure he'd still be around. He got extra exposure as a Calhoun (Ga.) High teammate of lefthander Josh Smoker, picked 31st overall by the Nationals. Signed for $607,500, Culberson teamed with Angel Villalona and Nick Noonan to form a prospect-studded infield for the Arizona League Giants, who reached the league title game. San Francisco plans on continuing to bring the three of them up together. In the best-case scenario, they make it all the way to the major leagues like the 1970s Dodgers infield of Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell and Ron Cey. Russell would be a pretty good role model for Culberson, who isn't flashy but manages to make plays in spite of average range and an unorthodox, sidearm release. The Giants grade his arm as above-average, with the drawback being that he tries to make every play, no matter how impossible. Culberson has a metal-bat swing and lacks a true load to generate power, but he got plenty of work with wood in his pro debut after signing quickly and showed signs of making adjustments. Culberson has a stocky build and some pull power that helped him mash 15 homers as a prep senior, but power isn't expected to be a major part of his game. He'll move up with Villalona and Noonan to low Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Arizona Complex League #15 prospect in 2007
  AZL managers found Culberson, a surprise supplemental first-round pick in June, far from conventional but nonetheless to their liking. He rebounded from a terrible start to help drive the Giants into the championship game, leading the team with 19 stolen bases (in 20 tries) and batting .354 in August. Culverson showed pull power, savvy baserunning skills and above-average bat speed, and he made progress on learning when to be aggressive and when to be smart. Culberson hit 16 homers as a high school senior, but homers aren't likely to be a significant part of his game as he moves up the ladder. The unconventional part comes with his glove. Culberson has excellent arm strength despite an unusual, almost sidearm release point, and as he learns to trust his arm, he'll improve his fringe-average range by playing deeper and learning better positioning. His aggressive nature led to mistakes, but he worked hard with roving instructor Fred Stanley and showed enough aptitude (one error in his last 12 games in the AZL) to keep playing shortstop in instructional league.

• December, 2008 Scouting Report
  Culberson teamed in the Augusta middle infield with Nick Noonan last season, but he couldn't match the success of his roommate and fellow 2007 sandwich pick. Culberson, who signed for $607,500 as the 51st overall choice, hit .104 in April. Playing in front of friends and family only increased the pressure on the Georgia native, whose father Charles was the Giants' 16th-round pick in 1984. His baseball bloodlines run deep, as his grandfather Leon played in the majors and he's also related to the Sislers (Hall of Famer George, former all-star Dick and big leaguer Dave). Culberson eventually righted himself, hitting .274 over the rest of the season, though he missed all of August when he hurt his hand punching a paper-towel dispenser in frustration. He did return for instructional league and played well there. Culberson generates a lot of bat speed and has strong hands. He hit a few line-drive homers last season, and the ball jumps off his bat when his swing stays nice and compact. Developing more patience at the plate is a must. He has below-average speed but makes up for it by being aggressive on the bases. Culberson isn't a prototypical shortstop, but he has good feet and gets off strong throws despite an unorthodox release. He let his offensive woes affect him at times and committed 35 errors in 79 games at short, many coming when he tried to make highlight plays instead of eating the ball. He probably would fit better at second base, but Noonan's presence means the Giants will keep Culberson at shortstop for at least a while longer. He consistently comes out for early work and scores points for his attitude. He probably showed enough in the second half to graduate to high Class A.