David Fletcher (baseball)

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David Fletcher
Davidfletcher2019 (cropped).jpg
Fletcher with the Los Angeles Angels in 2019
Los Angeles Angels – No. 22
Infielder
Born: (1994-05-31) May 31, 1994 (age 27)
Orange, California
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 13, 2018, for the Los Angeles Angels
MLB statistics
(through 2021 season)
Batting average.281
Home runs12
Runs batted in139
Teams

David Owen Fletcher (born May 31, 1994) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was drafted by the Angels in the sixth round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft. He made his MLB debut in 2018.

Amateur career[]

Fletcher attended Cypress High School in Cypress, California. In 2013, his senior year, he batted .437.[1] After high school, he enrolled at Loyola Marymount University and played college baseball for the Loyola Marymount Lions.[2] In 2014, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and was named a league all-star.[3] In 2015, as a sophomore, he slashed .308/.385/.416 with two home runs and 27 RBIs in 55 games. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the sixth round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft.[4]

Fletcher with the Alaska Goldpanners in 2013

Professional career[]

Minor leagues[]

Fletcher spent his first professional season with the Orem Owlz and Burlington Bees, slashing .311/.377/.414 with one home run and 40 RBIs in 69 games. In 2016, he played for the Inland Empire 66ers and Arkansas Travelers, batting .280/.322/.351 with three home runs, 37 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases in 98 games. After the season, he played in the Arizona Fall League.[5] Fletcher played 2017 with the Mobile BayBears and Salt Lake Bees, batting .266/.316/.339 with three home runs, 39 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases in 111 games.[6]

Fletcher started the 2018 season with Salt Lake. In 254 at bats he hit .350/.394/.559.[7]

Los Angeles Angels[]

The Angels promoted Fletcher to the Major Leagues on June 12, 2018.[8] In his first game, he tripled for his first major league hit and 2 RBI, singled on a liner to deep center, and hit a bloop single to center, collecting 5 total bases in 4 at-bats.[9] Fletcher played the remainder of the season in multiple positions, hitting .275/.316/.363 with one home run and 25 RBIs in 284 at bats in 80 games.[10]

In 2019 he batted .290/.350/.384. He swung at the lowest percentage of pitches inside the strike zone (48.7%), and made contact with the highest percentage of pitches he swung at (91.1%), the highest percentage of pitches he swung at in the strike zone (96.1%), as well as the highest percentage of pitches he swung at outside the strike zone (82.6%), of all major leaguers.[11]

In 2020, Fletcher finished the season batting .319/.376/.425 with 3 home runs and 18 RBIs in 207 at bats in 49 games, starting 15 games at second base, 8 at third base, 27 at shortstop, and one in right field.[10]

On April 1, 2021, Fletcher signed a 5-year $26 million extension with the Angels. It includes two club options that could extend the deal to seven years and $41 million.[12]

In 2021 he batted .262/.297/.324 with 2 home runs in 626 at bats, had the highest percentage of softly hit balls of all major leaguers at 23.2%, the lowest percentage of hard-hit balls at 17.3%, and had the most infield hits in the major leagues, with 28.[13] He also took fewer pitches per plate appearance than any other MLB batter, at 3.33.[14]

Personal life[]

Fletcher's younger brother, Dominic, plays in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.[15]

Fletcher and his wife, Kierra, married in January 2019 and reside in Orange County, California.[16][17]

References[]

  1. ^ "Los Angeles Times' 2013 High School All-Star Baseball Team". Los Angeles Times. June 10, 2013.
  2. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-04-18. Retrieved 2018-04-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "#6 David Fletcher - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  4. ^ "Cypress' David Fletcher rising through Angels farm system, appreciates David Eckstein comparisons". November 14, 2016.
  5. ^ "Angels in AFL: Ward continues to open eyes". MLB.com.
  6. ^ "David Fletcher Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  7. ^ "Prospect Fletcher in mix for final bench spot". MLB.com.
  8. ^ "SoCal product David Fletcher gets first promotion to Angels after sizzling start at Triple-A". June 12, 2018.
  9. ^ "Los Angeles Angels at Seattle Mariners Box Score, June 13, 2018". Baseball-Reference.com.
  10. ^ a b "David Fletcher Stats". Baseball-Reference.com.
  11. ^ "Major League Leaderboards » 2019 » Batters » Plate Discipline Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball". Fangraphs.com. 2019-01-01. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
  12. ^ Bollinger, Rhett (1 April 2021). "Fletcher, Angels agree to 5-year extension". Los Angeles Angels.
  13. ^ "Major League Leaderboards » 2021 » Batters » Batted Ball Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball". www.fangraphs.com.
  14. ^ "2021 Major League Baseball Pitches Batting".
  15. ^ Glaser, Kyle. "2019 MLB Draft Picks With Famous Relatives, Big League Ties". www.baseballamerica.com.
  16. ^ "Login • Instagram". www.instagram.com.
  17. ^ "Surrounded by stars, Fletcher still stands out". MLB.com.

External links[]

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