Culberson and Brock Holt were added to the Rangers’ infield depth chart this offseason.
While Holt was the designated hitter, he and Culberson were virtually a platoon, with Culberson having more plate appearances and playing in more games than Holt owing to Holt’s injury.
As it turned out, Culberson outperformed Holt by cutting.
Holt’s .209/.281/.298 performance was outperformed by 243/.296/.381. Culberson finished the season with 1.0 bWAR, which was a career-high.
Even though Culberson played every position except center field and catcher, and was the backup infielder and all-around versatile bench player, he ended up predominantly playing third base.
Culberson started 60 of his 68 games at third base. Other than that, his most frequent position was left field, where he had only seven appearances, including five starts.
He only made three starts at first base, second base, and shortstop, as well as one at DH, and finished with the same number of innings in right field (2) as he did as a pitcher.
Culberson’s season in 2021 was, in any event, better than projected.
He’ll most likely receive a minor league invite rather than a major league contract this spring, but given his respectable offensive output and reputation as a reliable clubhouse guy, I expect him to land a major league job in 2022.
How Much Does Charlie Culberson Make?
Charlie Culberson makes an annual average salary of $1,750,000