While the MLB GM meetings take center stage on Tuesday, some MLB veterans are deciding their futures. Veteran infielder/pitcher David Fletcher is retiring after seven seasons in the majors, his agent Steve Rath of the Ballengee Group tells FanSided.
Fletcher, 31, spent six of those seasons with the Los Angeles Angels where he hit .277/.323/.359 with a .682 OPS, 16 home runs and 168 RBI in 534 games. In April 2021, Fletcher and the Angels agreed to a five-year, $26 million contract that includes two club options that could make the deal worth seven years, $41 million.
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What David Fletcher meant to the Angels, and why he landed elsewhere
At the time, Angels general manager Perry Minasian called a Fletcher extension a priority. He was drafted by the organization in the sixth round of the 2015 MLB Draft and rose through the organization before debuting in the majors in 2018. “He’s one of those players where before I took this job when I was preparing for interviews, I watched a lot of video,” Minasian said at the time. “We obviously have some big names on this team, but the guy that stood out over and over was Fletch. … This is the type of guy, the type of DNA we want in this organization.”
After six seasons with the Angels, Fletcher and catcher Max Stassi were traded to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for first baseman Evan White and left-hander Tyler Thomas. Fletcher only played in five games in the majors with Atlanta, hitting .250/.222/.250 with two RBI.
David Fletcher, a baseball innovator, hangs up his cleats
But in the minors with the Braves, Fletcher converted to pitching. In his first start, he threw five innings and allowed only two runs while striking out six hitters. He most prominently featured a knuckleball, something he told Braves officials that helped convince the organization to give the longtime infielder an opportunity on the mound.
In two seasons in the minors (23 appearances, 18 starts), Fletcher posted a 6.42 ERA and 42 strikeouts across 101 innings pitched. Perhaps the highlight of his time on the mound came in May 2024 when he struck out baseballs-then No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday.
The Braves recently declined Fletcher’s $8 million club option, instead paying him a $1.5 million buyout.