David Fletcher

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David Owen Fletcher

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Biographical Information[edit]

Infielder David Fletcher made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Angels in June 2018. He took over as the team's regular second baseman after Ian Kinsler was traded to the Boston Red Sox in mid-season and hit .275 in 80 games.

In 2019, he played 154 games for the Angels, with third base his main position, although he also started games at second base, shortstop and in left field. He hit .290 with 6 homers and 49 RBIs, and scored 83 runs. His OBO was a solid .350, but given his lack of power, his OP+ was still below average at 94. He was really a throw-back player, a middle infielder with a good glove, a decent batting average and superior bat-handling skill, of the type that would be found on almost any team in the 1970s and 1980s but had become exceedingly rare in the 21st century. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he doubled down on the type, leading the American League in singles while batting .319 in 49 games. He still didn't have much power, but with an OBP of .376, there was no denying that he was a useful hitter to gave around near the top of the batting order, as reflected in his OPS+ of 117. This time, his main position was shortstop, with some additional starts at second base, with the Angels having signed Anthony Rendon to an expensive free agent contract to play third base.

In 2021, he ended the first half with a flourish, obtaining a hit in his final 24 games before the All-Star break. He then started off the second half exactly where he had left off, not only extending his streak to 26 games, but going 6 for 10 with 4 doubles over his first two games. He had by then raised his batting average to .318. He had a streak within the streak, with multiple hits in 7 of his last 8 games, during which he had gone an incredible 22 for 37 (.595). By then the hitting streak was the second longest in team history, trailing only a 28-game one by Garret Anderson in 1998. He had started the season batting 9th, but was switched to the lead-off spot shortly after the hitting streak began. Defensively, he was back to his original position, second base, with the occasional start at short. His streak ended with an ofer on July 18th. In 157 games that season, he batted .262 with 2 homers and 47 RBIs, scoring 74 runs and putting up an OPS+ of 70 as he slumped badly after the hitting streak, hitting .231 in August and an awful .131 in September. The slump continued in 2022 as he lost his starting job at second base and hit .255 in 61 games with an OPS+ of 76. He also was sent down to AAA for 13 games, hitting .204 with the Salt Lake Bees.

Fletcher's brother, Dominic Fletcher, was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2nd round of the 2019 amateur draft and made his minor league debut with the Kane County Cougars that summer. Both brothers signed up to play for the Italian national team at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Their mother, Fernanda, was born and grew up in Florence, Italy, making them eligible for the team. He hit .200/.238/.250 in the tournament. David started the 2023 season with the Angels but hit just .125 through his first 8 games and was sent back to Salt Lake on April 11th. He found his hitting stroke there, batting .383 in 43 game and returned to L.A. on June 24th when he had a four-hit game in the Angels' record-setting demolition of the Colorado Rockies that day that ended with a score of 25-1. On June 30th, he played against his brother Dominic for the first time, as he had in the interim made his major league debut for the Diamondbacks. It was a bittersweet reunion, however, as their father Tim, had passed away suddenly at age 60 in June. It was a disappointing season for David, as he hit .247 in just 33 games and spending the remainder of the year in AAA for the Salt Lake Bees, where he hit .331 in 85 games. On December 8th, he and C Max Stassi were traded to the Atlanta Braves in return for P Tyler Thomas and 1B Evan White, both of whom had been acquired in the preceding days by the Braves.

Notable Achievements[edit]

  • AL Singles Leader (2020)

Further Reading[edit]

  • Rhett Bollinger: "Surrounded by stars, Fletcher still stands out", mlb.com, January 31, 2021. [1]
  • Joe Reedy (Associated Press): "Bittersweet reunion: Fletcher brothers face each other for 1st time in majors after father's death", Yahoo! Sports, June 30, 2023. [2]
  • Sarah Valenzuela (Los Angeles Times): "Angels' David Fletcher will get to play with his brother again — for Team Italy", Yahoo! News, January 16, 2023. [3]

Related Sites[edit]

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