Veteran infielder David Fletcher is retiring, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The 31-year-old spent the majority of his seven-year MLB career with the Angels.
Los Angeles took Fletcher in the sixth round of the 2015 draft. The 5’9″ infielder posted strong batted-ball skills at each level of the minors, reaching Triple-A in 2017. Fletcher put up a healthy 143 wRC+ over 58 games with Triple-A Salt Lake in 2018, earning a callup to the big-league club. Los Angeles had Andrelton Simmons penciled in at shortstop, but an Ian Kinsler trade opened up regular playing time at second base. Fletcher hit .275 over 307 plate appearances in his first taste of MLB action.
Fletcher delivered his best results in the shortened 2020 season. He slashed .319/.376/.425 across 49 games. Fletcher bounced around the infield, making starts at second base, shortstop, and third base. He also appeared once in right field. The strong campaign helped Fletcher land a five-year, $26MM extension just before the 2021 season.
Following the extension, Fletcher took over as the Angels’ full-time second baseman. He played a career-high 157 games in 2021. Fletcher earned strong defensive marks (9 DRS, 8 Outs Above Average) in 1,212 innings at second base. He also swiped 15 bags, after coming into the season with just 13 career steals. Fletcher’s production at the plate, however, trailed off considerably. He scuffled to a 69 wRC+ over 665 plate appearances. Fletcher was dropped from the leadoff spot to ninth in the order by May. He regained the leadoff spot midseason, but closed the year back in the nine hole.
Hip and hand injuries derailed Fletcher’s 2022 campaign. He was available for just 61 games. Fletcher once again performed well in the field, while he struggled as a hitter. He opened the 2023 season healthy, but went 2-for-16 in April and was demoted to Triple-A Sacramento. Fletcher appeared in just 33 games with the Angels that year. Los Angeles flipped him to Atlanta in December 2023, allowing the team some short-term financial flexibility.
Fletcher’s career would take some twists and turns after his tenure with the Angels. Atlanta passed him through waivers shortly after the trade. Unsurprisingly, no team wanted to pick up the rest of Fletcher’s deal, and he went unclaimed. He spent the majority of the season in the minors with Atlanta, but not as an infielder. Fletcher transitioned to pitching that season, utilizing a knuckleball to try to make an MLB comeback. He made 22 appearances across two levels, posting a 6.39 ERA. During the middle of the 2024 season, a report emerged linking Fletcher to the bookmaker used by Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. According to the report, Fletcher placed bets with the illegal Southern California gambling ring, though those wagers were not on baseball.
Fletcher ditched the pitching experiment and went back to the infield in 2025. He played in 83 games across Double-A and Triple-A this past season, slashing .185/.233/.258. Atlanta declined his $8MM club option last week. He elected minor league free agency, but will now head into retirement.
We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Fletcher on a solid career and wish him the best in his future endeavours.
Photo courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images
$26 million = set for life.
Well done, young man.
Maybe. I hope he saved and invested wisely. The involvement of the bookie makes that a dicey proposition though.
It’s not like he’s retiring with 26 million in the bank. Take away 1/2 for taxes and agents. Now we are at 13 off top. Living expenses since he started cashing checks. You don’t make money like that and not spend money. The guy has some gambling in him too. Lived in California where everything costs more than it should. Could he have invested wisely, sure. But 13 million isn’t forever money when you’re in your 30’s. Promise you this guy isn’t a set for life.
That’s quite a promise. I figure you have access to his retirement portfolio. That or you’re talking out of your boohole..
Right. He’s been moving around in the minor leagues for three years. He saw the writing on the wall.
Could he be hurting for money…it’s possible. It’s also possible he’s set for life.
AAA Sacramento???
chalk739- exactly what stuck out in my brain as well.
Productive player, but his name will be linked to non-baseball reasons.
There has to be at least a footnote that Fletch’s bookie was the one who got Ohtani hooked.
Yeah, I thought so.
Ohtani was never hooked. His interpreter was hooked, and he stole from Ohtani
I always felt that the extension for 20 million killed it for him.
David Fletcher’s arc was never about flash it was about grit. A seventh-round pick who played like a first-round heart, Fletcher gave the Angels seven seasons of hustle, glove work, and quiet leadership.
He debuted like a sparkplug, spraying hits and turning double plays with precision. But somewhere along the way, the bat angle shifted. Maybe it was coaching, maybe it was chasing launch angles—maybe it was just baseball. The punch to right field became a pattern, and the punch at the plate lost its sting.
Still, Fletcher never mailed it in. He wore the halo with pride, played through pain, and made every routine grounder look like a clinic.
To Angels fans, Fletch was a grinder.
Enjoy retirement, Fletch You earned every inning.
He also out wore his welcome with behind the scenes antics, one of the reasons the Angels ended up trading him (and I suspect one reason his performance started declining)
Chuck,
Just a quick correction: AAA Sacramento is the Giants’ affiliate; the Angels’ AAA affiliate is the Salt Lake City Bees.
I know you’ve got more in the tank and I’m looking forward to stronger work moving forward. Please take your time and re-read your articles before posting. Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.
You’ve got this, Chuck!
Chuck- I think the A’s where in Sacramento.
Made $12.5 million the past two seasons spending almost the entirety of them in AAA and got another $1.5 million on the option buyout. Dude made his money but hopefully he lost the bookies phone number…
dude what is this comment section? I feel like I can’t even tell the difference between whether one of these long paragraphs are AI or not. Anyways, happy retirement to Fletch.
For the Braves..Part of the $26-30M squandered away on the Kelenic trade fiasco that involved 5-6 players Post-Initial trade! I think Fletcher was the last player standing in the deal that had Marco Gonzales, Evan White, Max Stassi, and several PTBNs received in Salary dump trades! How is that Kelenic trade working out for the Braves?
Thank you, DavidFletcherFan69
One of my favorite non-Phillies for a period of about 3 years. Shame the talent evaporated. Enjoy retirement, king.
I’m surprised to see he’s 31 and played only 7 seasons. Seems to me he’d been around longer. I liked the way he played. Happy retirement to him.
Four Years of Frustration—and Counting
Sorry, but my frustrations have been building for 4 seasons. Arte Moreno remains the worst owner in baseball—more interested in optics than outcomes, no longer chasing star power while the foundation crumbles. Under his watch, Arte Moreno haven’t committed to a rebuild, a reload, or a real plan. Just reruns.
Perry Minasian? He’s been dealt a losing hand. No chips to play. No budget for marquee free agents. No green light for bold trades. And while he’s miscast as a general manager, he’s not without value. Perry belongs in the war room, not the GM’s chair. He’s a player development mind with a sharp eye for amateur talent. The June draft is his wheelhouse.
The farm system has real pulse now. Logan O’Hoppe, Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel and others these aren’t lucky picks. They’re foundational pieces. But you can’t rebuild with youth while patching the big-league roster like a flat tire on the 5 freeway. Without AAA card
Robert Stephenson was signed to be a high-leverage arm. Instead, he’s been a ghost on a three-year deal. Jorge Soler was supposed to bring pop—he brought a fizzle And the bullpen? It’s been a disappointment, a revolving door. Too many arms, not enough anchors.
The result? A team that’s no longer competing. Just floating in space Houston we have a problem
Pitching? The Angels had one position finish above 20th in fWAR and the farm stinks in spite of the highest picks in an Angel history.
Thats all Minasian.
Halo11Fan. I know you like to debate here Go’s
“Pitching? Sure, the Angels ranked bottom-tier in fWAR, but that’s a symptom—not the disease. Veterans soft tossers—it was Anderson and Hendricks on short-term deals, a couple homegrown arms, and Yusei Kikuchi trying to hold the line. The bullpen collapsed post-break, and depth was a mirage. The farm’s thin, no argument there—but it’s not empty. Rada’s a legit CF with 40+ steal upside, Guzman’s bat is maturing, and Klassen’s arm could pop. Slawinski and Bremner are still cooking in Low-A. It’s not a pipeline yet, but there’s pressure building. Let’s see what Maddux does with clay.”
I’m simply saying it’s everything. Our starters stink. Our bullpen stinks. Our position players stick, and even the ones that don’t, our depth behind them stink.
Getting a heart is not going to help if I’m suffering from, if every other vital organ is shutting down.
This team needs a complete overhaul.
How do you feel about Arte Moreno
I hope he sells. He’s too into marketing, Doesn’t care about his low level employees. And neglected his farm systems.
He’s a bad owner. The thing I like about him most is he doesn’t bring in PED players.
Always enjoyed watching Fletcher play. Enjoy the next phase, DF.
Fletch will have plenty of time to gamble with Ohtani now.
You’re a sad little man, you know that?
I was one of the few to say it was a good contract for Fletcher and an unnecessary contract for the Angels.
Twenty five million dollars for a little over 500 games played is a good deal for him.
As with any player, if someone is willing to pay…take it. Don’t ever be ashamed to sign those checks.
Based on what was known at the time, it was an excellent signing. The Angels paid a very small premium to lock up Fletcher through A30 year. If his career had progressed as it had started he’d be getting $6M to $10M in his final years of arbitration.
That his offensive production just fell off the table was unforeseen and made the signing look bad with what we know in 2026. But back in 2020, it was an astute move.
It was too early. They had time, and he wasn’t a star.
I hate this.
Why? He hasn’t been a major league player for years and has enough money to retire.
Good for him.
I hate it for me and other Fletcher fans, not for him. Good for him.
“A legacy of integrity”??????? You’re deep fake trolling—-right? Right???
So long as the gambling issue doesn’t cast a dark shadow, Fletch would make a great manager someday. All he needs is a team willing to give him a shot. I would love to see him become one of the better, younger managers in MLB but it will take a few seasons in the minors and as a bench coach before he gets a shot.
Ohtani says: -100 odds Fletcher goes into coaching.
I dont see why Ohtani didnt just admit to being a soccer degen. He didnt bet on baseball, throw games, pitches, at bats, nothing. He’s just a phenomenal talent who likes betting on soccer.
Arte Moreno: The Shutdown King of Anaheim
Remember when the government shut down and federal workers were told to “hold tight” while bills piled up and pantries emptied? That wasn’t just politics—it was power flexed at the expense of everyday people. Bailed out Argentina billions of dollars no funding for snap building a ballroom
Now look at Arte Moreno.
He’s running a baseball shutdown—and Angel fans are the unpaid workers. No postseason. No farm system. No future. Just a billionaire holding the keys and saying, “You’ll get what I give you.” once had the team for sale killed the deal.
Trump’s shutdown: 800,000 workers furloughed, food banks overwhelmed, and no end in sight.
Arte’s Angels: 11 years without playoffs, bottom-ranked development, and a fanbase fed empty promises.
Both men wield control like a weapon—not to build, but to break. Arte doesn’t just neglect the team. He holds it hostage. Every offseason is a standoff. Every trade deadline is a bluff. Every press release is a distraction.
fake news
Trump said, “People will adjust.” Arte says, “We’re competitive.” Both are lies dressed as leadership.
Fans are starving for hope, for vision, for a plan. Instead, we get budget cuts,
I’ve missed Fletch since Arte traded him away. He was better than Rengifo.
I’m not a gambling man, but David Fletcher is! So happy that he can now gamble restriction free. Cheers to your parlays and I hope the FBI doesn’t investigate in a few years when they aren’t being corrupted