- Full name Christopher Michael Cullen
- Born 04/01/1997 in Cumming, GA
- Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 221 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School South Carolina
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Drafted in the 38th round (1,148th overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2015.
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As a tall, glove-first catcher who is committed to South Carolina, Cullen earns easy comparisons to Grayson Greiner, the former Gamecock who was drafted in the third round by the Tigers a year ago. Cullen is listed at 6-foot-5, 197 pounds, and while his height does lead to questions about his ability to stay behind the plate, he plays the position with ease. He has plus arm strength and is a good receiver. Cullen doesn't provide much offense now, but could end up with average power if he's able to improve his swing as he physically matures.
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Draft Prospects
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Cullen has shown exceptional offensive and defensive potential in the past with South Carolina, but the 6-foot-5, 225-pound backstop has battled injuries throughout his career and ineffectiveness this spring. After a strong start to his sophomore campaign in 2017--when he hit .276/.377/.467 with five home runs in 34 games--Cullen was forced to end his season after undergoing surgery to remove torn cartilage in his left knee. After rehabbing and getting into better shape prior to this spring, Cullen was poised to take advantage of his developing power and replicate his success over a full SEC season. That didn't happen, as Cullen has struggled with a .206/.310/.318 line in 36 games. Cullen has had some success in the Cape Cod League previously, but teams might be more wary of him than they would have anticipated a year ago. -
As a tall, glove-first catcher who is committed to South Carolina, Cullen earns easy comparisons to Grayson Greiner, the former Gamecock who was drafted in the third round by the Tigers a year ago. Cullen is listed at 6-foot-5, 197 pounds, and while his height does lead to questions about his ability to stay behind the plate, he plays the position with ease. He has plus arm strength and is a good receiver. Cullen doesn't provide much offense now, but could end up with average power if he's able to improve his swing as he physically matures.
