As He Turns 25, LA Angels David Fletcher Shows He Belongs

As the LA Angels utility player turns 25, we appreciate everything he brings to the table for the Los Angeles Angels. That is David Fletcher’s role and he is good at it.

It’s easy to get lost on the LA Angels. After all, when you share a clubhouse with the best player in the game, one of only three players to amass 2,000 career RBIs, and arguably Japan’s biggest international sports star, it’s easy to avoid the glare of the cameras, the crowds of writers looking for the next big scoop or interview.

Even when you’re a native of Orange County, were drafted by the hometown Angels in the sixth round of the 2015 Draft out of Loyala Marymount, you’re batting .314, and have become an everyday presence in the Angels’ lineup, you still get a little lost in the shuffle.

That all seems fine to David Fletcher, the Angels’ jack of all trades who has made starts at shortstop, second base, third base, and left field, while only logging two errors, and is batting to the tune of an .814 OPS, tied with Brian Goodwin for fourth on the team.

It is that versatility which has been the key for Fletcher, who has capably logged innings in the middle infield and third base, a saving grace for the Angels as Andrelton Simmons is on a long rehab from a gruesome ankle sprain, and Zack Cozart has headed to the IL with a nagging shoulder injury which has contributed to him having the lowest OPS in baseball.

As much as Cozart’s contract is a catastrophe, Fletcher’s solid defense and stellar ability to make contact and work walks has been one of the highlights of the Angels’ season, obscured of course by the Angels’ stars, and also the meteoric rise of Tommy La Stella.

On a team defined by star power and offensive power, headline grabbing players and tape measure home runs, David Fletcher does the little things. He makes contact, and avoids strikeouts. His .316 average is 6th in the AL, and he has worked 16 walks vs. only 13 strikeouts. He has played wherever he is asked, and done whatever it takes to help the team.

On his 25th birthday, we salute David Fletcher, the hometown hero utility player for the Los Angeles Angels.