2 forgotten ex-SF Giants infielders resurface with Banana Ball teams

The World Series is over and while it might seem like we won’t get a ton of SF Giants news in this next month before a lockout that is almost certain to occur in early December, think again because it turns out two former Giants are going to be playing Banana Ball in 2027.

That’s right, the style of baseball popularized by the Savannah Bananas, which will actually be coming to Oracle Park in 2027, is growing and they have a yearly draft to replenish the league with new talent.

Two ex-Giants will be joining the league as Charlie Culberson was selected by the Savannah Bananas and Kelby Tomlinson was selected by the Loco Beach Coconuts. We may not get MLB action until the summer of 2027, but at least we have Banana Ball to tide us over.

For those unfamiliar, Banana Ball is like baseball but there are flips, tricks, and points along with a strict time limit. I’ve watched a game or two and it’s kind of fun to check out but the league has really exploded in popularity as baseball now has its own version of the Harlem Globetrotters.

Charlie Culberson was important for the Giants in 2012

It will be cool to see some former Giants get in on the action. We’ve seen Hunter Pence make a cameo in the past but to see two players actually on the roster will be near.

Culberson was drafted by the Giants and made his big league debut with San Francisco in 2012. He had just three hits in 22 at-bats for San Francisco but he was a very important player because he was sent to the Colorado Rockies in the trade that brought Marco Scutaro to San Francisco. 

Scutaro went on to become a playoff hero for the Giants and was the NLCS MVP that season so Culberson helped San Francisco win a World Series in a sort of roundabout way.

As for Tomlinson, fans may remember the bespectacled middle infielder who played for San Francisco from 2015 to 2018. He hit .265/.331/.332 in his career with three homers, 47 runs batted in, and 19 stolen bases. He retired back in 2021.

He is also a certified optician which is more than fitting given the fact that he had the nickname “Specs” while on the Giants.

Unfortunately, neither the Bananas nor the Coconuts are scheduled to play at Oracle Park next season so neither Culberson nor Tomlinson will get to return as a player unless there’s a trade and as I write that I’m not entirely sure if there are trades in Banana Ball. Maybe you can trade a player in exchange for bananas. Who knows?

Still, it’s nice to see that these former Giants are staying involved in baseball even if it is in a non-traditional form. 

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