Curt Casali, Catcher, Cincinnati Reds

Date of Birth: 11/9/1988
Birthplace: Walnut Creek, California
College: Vanderbilt University

Curt Casali, catcher for the Cincinnati Reds, was a top player at Vanderbilt University. During his college years, he batted .316 with 27 home runs and 167 RBIs. He was originally drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2011. After two years in the Tigers' minor league system, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in March, 2013.

Casali played in the minor leagues from 2011 through most of 2014. During that time, he had 265 hits, 66 doubles, 140 RBIs, and 178 strikeouts to 141 walks in 280 games. As a catcher, he made 182 assists, 1,775 putouts, and 16 errors in 239 games. He caught players trying to steal 30% of the time.

Casali joined the Rays for 30 games in 2014. During that time, he batted just .167 with 12 hits. In 2015, he batted .238 with 24 hits in 38 games with the Rays. He had two home runs in a game on July 28th and again in a game on July 29th.

In 2016, Casali batted .186 in 84 games with the Rays. Defensively, as the Rays' catcher in 76 games, he made 37 assists, 538 putouts, and 4 errors. He had a .993 fielding percentage and he caught players trying to steal 35.9% of the time.

Casali spent most of the 2017 season in the minors, playing in just 9 games with the Rays.

Casali elected free agency on November 6, 2017. He signed a minor league contract with the Rays on March 22, 2018. He was traded to the Reds on May 31st. He played in 52 games with the Reds in 2018, and he batted .293 with 41 hits. He also played in 28 games in the minors.

Casali spent time on the DL in 2019 with a right knee sprain. He finished the season with 52 hits, 32 RBIs, 59 strikeouts to 25 walks, and a .251 batting average in 84 games. Defensively, as the Reds' catcher in 67 games, he made 31 assists, 572 putouts, and 3 errors, and he caught players trying to steal 24.4% of the time.

Casali played in 31 games in 2020. He finished the season with 17 hits, 3 doubles, 6 home runs, 8 RBIs, and a .224 batting average. In the postseason, he had no hits in 2 at-bats in 2 games.

Casali became a free agent on December 2, 2020. He signed with the San Francisco Giants on January 4, 2021. He spent time on the IL in 2021 with a left wrist strain. He finished the season with 42 hits and a .210 batting average in 77 games.

The Giants traded Casali to the Seattle Mariners on August 2, 2022.

Casali became a free agent on November 6, 2022. He returned to the Reds on December 22nd.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Curt Casali
ESPN - Curt Casali
Baseball Reference - Curt Casali