Getty Image / Kevin D. Liles
Atlanta Braves infielder David Fletcher was recently in the news for the wrong reasons, as he was linked to the same bookie that landed Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Muzuhara. But, that’s not the case this time, as Fletcher did something pretty cool on Wednesday night.
The former Angels infielder, now with the Braves’ AAA team, the Gwinnett Stripers, has always struggled at the plate. But, the Braves decided to give him a start on the mound on Wednesday night and he absolutely dominated.
For his career, Fletcher is a career 86 OPS+ (league average is 100) hitter, and was even worse this year. He’s only an average fielder as well, which means that his likelihood of becoming an everyday big league player like he was a few years ago in Los Angeles is slim.
The Braves brought him in for organizational depth in the middle infield, but I’m not sure they thought they’d have a potential pitching prospect in someone who will turn 30 this week.
But, that’s exactly what they may have. David Fletcher got the start for Gwinnett, who apparently needed a starter on Wednesday against the Norfolk Tides, and he was fantastic.
David Fletcher — yes, the infielder — started tonight for Triple-A Gwinnett and pitched 5 innings of 3-hit ball with 2 runs, 1 walk, 6 Ks. Struck out Jackson Holiday among others. He features a knuckleball. They've used him to pitch a few times but this was his first start.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) May 30, 2024
He said he had a knuckleball, so they gave him a chance, and sure enough, he's got a legit one. So they're gonna see what he can do with it.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) May 30, 2024
He even struck out Jackson Holliday, the top-overall position prospect in baseball, despite his struggles with the big-league club earlier this year.
This comes just a few weeks after Fletcher was linked to Matthew Bowyer, the same bookie that was allegedly taking huge amounts of bets from Ippei. Ohtani and David Fletcher were teammates on the Angels from 2018-2023.
It’s unknown if the Braves try to move Fletcher to the pitching staff at some level in the minors full-time. To be honest, I assume a lot of that will be up to David Fletcher. But, it would be fun if he made the switch to full-time knuckleballer!