Angels David Fletcher goes full Jeter to earn MLB Play of the Week

Los Angeles Angels shortstop David Fletcher channeled a Hall of Fame shortstop and made his signature play look routine.

After a tough weekend series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Angels didn’t have a whole lot to be proud about. A series sweep in the Freeway Series and during a must-win weekend will do that to a team and a fan base.

While three more losses on a growing pile of defeats can weigh heavily on a team, there was at least one victory stemming from this weekend. As announced by Major League Baseball, Angels shortstop captured the MLB Play of the Week!

With one out in the top of the fourth inning on Saturday, Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts pulled a sharp grounder into the hole between third and short. Fletcher ranged to his right and from the outfielder grass, gave every ounce of his 50-grade arm to beat Betts.

https://twitter.com/Angels/status/1295447601957855237

In case you missed the play on Saturday, it was a tremendous effort by Fletcher to get an otherwise hot hitter by a toe And it was quite literally a toe, as Betts appeared to land just short of the bag, resulting in the out call.

The play was a bit reminiscent of a certain Hall of Fame shortstop that made a name for himself making similar plays at shortstop; Derek Jeter.

Of course, the knock on Jeter is that some of those throws were unnecessary and his generally poor defensive grades were due to range issues. It’s also worth noting that Fletch gives up six inches to Derek Jeter, making it all the more impressive to see it come from the Angels shortstop.

Of the three games this past weekend, Saturday’s was the one contest where the Angels really went toe-to-toe with the Dodgers. This particular play was a big reason why the Angels forced extra innings in that game.

David Fletcher Watch: Play of the Week and then some

While Fletch has just one multi-hit game this month, he’s still riding his hit streak and getting on base at a regular clip. The hit streak now stands at 15 games, while the on-base streak is also a cool 15 games. During both streaks, he’s hitting .270/.338/.476 with four doubles, three home runs, six RBI, and 11 runs scored.

Games – 22

Plate Appearances – 103

Hits – 27

Batting Average – .300

On-Base – .369

OPS – .836