Los Angeles Angels: The emergence of David Fletcher

An Impressive .287 Career Batting Average

Since he made his MLB debut against the Seattle Mariners on June 13, 2018, David Fletcher has been a reliable player for the Los Angeles Angels.

As a Mariner fan, this article has been very difficult to write because Fletcher has killed the Mariners time and time again, just like Mike Trout. But there is a lot to like about Fletcher even as an M’s fan.

In his first season after being called up in June, he finished with a .275 average and OPS of .678. His OBP was .316, and his slugging was only .363 which shows his lack of hitting for power.

Out of 78 hits, he had 18 doubles, two triples, and one home run. He also stole three bases without getting thrown out. In 2018, Fletcher played second, third, short, and right field.

In 2019, he showed improvement by getting on base more frequently and having a better walk to strikeout ratio.

His batting average was .290, OBP of .350, and OPS was .734. He had a little more than double the amount of at bats as 2018, and hit 30 doubles, 4 triples, and six home runs. He stole eight stolen bases and was caught 3 times.

Again, he played various positions for the Angels which allowed him to be in the lineup almost every day.

So far in 2020, he again has shown improvements. Although it is a small sample size, he has increased his average to .306, .378 OBP, and .860 OPS.

He has already hit 3 home runs, and six doubles in the shortened season. Fletcher has been mostly playing shortstop, but his versatility will help the Angels once Simmons returns from injury.