Tampa Bay Rays Invite New Canaan's Curt Casali To Spring Training

NEW CANAAN, Conn. -- New Canaan High School graduate Curt Casali was among 11 minor leaguers announced as nonroster invitees to Tampa Bay Rays spring training, the club announced in a release.

New Canaan High School graduate Curt Casali will train at the Tampa Bay Rays major league spring training camp this year.
Photo Credit: *Montgomery Biscuits*

by Eric Gendron

02/07/2014 5:00 a.m.

Casali is projected to be the starting catcher for the Rays' Double-A affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits, this season.

He was drafted out of Vanderbilt University by the Detroit Tigers in the 10th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball amateur draft. He was traded to the Rays before the start of the 2013 season.

A right-handed catcher, Casali was named an All-Star in the Single-A Florida State League. He then tore the cover off the ball after being promoted to Double-A midway through the season.

In just 35 games with the Biscuits in 2013, he hit for a .383 average with five home runs and 31 runs batted in while collecting an on-base percentage of .483 and an on-base-plus-slugging percentage of 1.083, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

Casali was quarterback of the New Canaan High football team in 2006 when the Rams won the first of four state championships in a row. He also was a part of the conference champion baseball team the following spring.

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