Despite a tough season, the 2020 Angels had their bright spots

2020 Angels Bright Spots: David Fletcher

Before the 2020 season began, I openly asked if David Fletcher could repeat his outstanding 2019 production. It was a fair question, as the infielder had been nomadic in the field and his production was drastically outplaying his batted ball metrics.

Well, Fletcher responded (not literally) with a resounding “yes!”

While he missed some time due to injury, Fletcher’s numbers were up across the board. After hitting .290/.350/.384 in 2019, he went off for .319/.376/.425 in 2020. His ISO went up (.094 to .106), as did exit velocity (83.8 to 84.7) and HardHit% (16.9 to 17.8). He also finished with career-bests in wOBA (.350) and wRC+ (125).

Likewise, Fletcher once again provided value around the infield, seeing time at third, shortstop, and second base. Injuries to Anthony Rendon and Andrelton Simmons opened the door for Fletcher to emerge from a platoon role and show that he was meant to be an everyday player for the Halos.

While there is no doubt that the Angels have found their leadoff man of the future, questions remain as to whether Fletcher will be a shortstop in 2021 or move back to the keystone. Regardless, he no longer has to worry about where his at-bats will come.