The Charleston RiverDogs starting shortstop, Christopher “Cito” Culver, is a name for every Yankee fan to remember. Culver was drafted in 2010 as the 32nd overall pick out of Irondequoit High School (Rochester, NY). The New York native could not be more thrilled being pegged by many as “the next Derek Jeter.” Let’s face it (sad but true) “El Capitan” is getting older (although playing amazingly, one of his best seasons to date, like a fine wine: getting sweeter with age), one can’t help but think of who will fill the shortstop position in the near future once that dark, dismal day comes when No. 2 is forced to retire. Culver looks like the fitting candidate as an up-and-coming, fresh, young (19), and talented SS who certainly has some big, famous shoes to fill and difficult expectations to live up to.
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting him once, at an autograph signing in New York Mills, NY last year, before he began his second season as a professional baseball player and I could sense the anxiousness in his eyes; nice kid with a great sense of humor.
Then, I also was lucky enough to watch Culver play in Troy, NY last year for the Staten Island Yankees in a game versus the Tri-City ValleyCats. With Staten Island, he batted .250, with a fielding % of .946.
This year he was moved up to (low A) Charleston RiverDogs and currently holds a .230 BA, with a .945 fielding % at short. I caught up with Cito and he was nice enough to answer as many questions as he could via twitter (pictured below) before reporting to the clubhouse (Wed. night) for the game (which must’ve brought him good luck as he hit his first homer of the season to tie the game up).
Follow him on twitter @yaboicito for all of his updates and personal antics. Mark my words- watch him climb up the rungs of the Yankees minor league ladder, most likely hitting Triple-A in the next couple of years (it will be awesome when he (with Scranton) plays at the Rochester Red Wings because that is his hometown), for someday he will be the young Bronx bombing shortstop, following in the beloved footsteps of Yankee royalty.
