LA Angels David Fletcher is quietly having a great season

Every team needs those undercover warriors to help the stars without getting much recognition. The LA Angels have such a player in David Fletcher.

If not for David Fletcher this season the LA Angels infield would have been in shambles, especially after Tommy La Stella was essentially lost for the season on July 3rd (he may still play a game or two this week). The Angels had already lost Zack Cozart for the season which Fletcher was one of the players who started to fill-in for him once he went on the IL.  La Stella also played some third base before getting injured. So when he went down the Angels and manager Brad Ausmus were scrambling to fill out a line-up card and cover all the bases.

Enter David Fletcher.  Fletcher was essentially in a utility role playing second and third base and even the corner outfield spots as well.  No matter where in the line-up Fletcher bats or where he plays in the field you will always get a maximum effort from him and usually the results are very positive both in the field and at the plate.

In 2019, Fletcher’s sophomore season in the majors, he has been even better than the first one. As of Tuesday night’s victory over Oakland where Fletcher went 3 for 4 with a run scored, the diminutive sparkplug (he is only 5’9) is hitting .293 with six homers and 49 RBIs with a .351 OBP and he has also stolen eight bases.  Another stellar statistic is that Fletcher has only struck out 60 times in 576 at bats.

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Fletcher has made only eight errors in 149 games playing second, third, shortstop, left, and right field this season. Fletcher has come through numerous times throughout the past two seasons for the Angels and has proven to be a player the Angels need to have in their line-up on a daily basis no matter where he plays in the field.

“When I get called up last I was the hometown kid,” said Fletcher, who grew up in nearby Cypress. “Getting to play in front of family and friends is pretty cool.”

Now that Fletcher has over a year of experience under his belt he can be a good resource for all of the Angel rookies, some of whom Fletcher has played with before.

“It’s nice to show up and play every day. I just try to do the best I can wherever I am playing or batting in the line-up,” Fletcher said. “I tell the new guys it’s just the same game, nothing really changes. When I was coming up I just watched how the veterans went about their business every day, and I tried to learn from them.”

So what is Fletcher’s goal for the future in 2020 and beyond?

“I’m just going to try my best to improve and do things to help my team win games,” Fletcher said.