Prospect: David Fletcher Rank: 13
2015/16: 20 Position(s): Infield
Level: AA Mobile Age: Entering Age 23 season in 2017.
Height: 5’10” Weight: 175 lb.
Present – Future
Hitting Ability 45 50
Power 30 30
Base Running 55 55
Patience 45 50
Fielding 65 70
Range 60 60
Arm 60 60
Overall 40 50
Floor: Defensive Specialist in MLB
Ceiling: Starting second baseman or shortstop in MLB
Likely Outcome: High quality, glove first – utility infielder.
Summary: Fletcher is one of the few prospects where what you see is inevitably what you get. Normally we use this in the context that a prospect simply won’t improve, but with Fletcher it’s not a bad thing. Coming out of unheralded regional powerhouse Loyola Marymount, Fletcher was so far developed that he gave scouts a bit more certainty in who they were drafting than is common. Fletcher is a very good defensive middle infielder with solid bat to ball skills, but little in the way of power and speed. It isn’t the sexiest package, but he is a near certain lock to be a major leaguer, especially under an Eppler-led organization that puts so much emphasis on defense. Fletcher continues to draw comparisons with Angel legend David Eckstein and those comps are pretty fair. Fletcher has a very short path to the ball and is a line drive hitter. His offensive game is rather simplistic. If it’s a strike, he’ll hit it. If it isn’t, he won’t swing.
Defensively, Fletcher has a sure glove, quick transition, good footwork and a strong arm. His range is above average at best, but the rest of his game is solid, consistent. Fletcher profiles best as a utility infielder because of his defense first skill set, however, there are some that believe Fletcher has enough bat to hold down a regular job in the majors. I don’t completely disagree with this. Fletcher reminds me a lot of David Eckstein or even Maicer Izturis, and coming up they both profiled as utility infielders, but once in the majors, they made the adjustments and were capable of holding down a regular job. At any rate, Fletcher is a major leaguer, is some capacity.
From a production standpoint, Fletcher was highly successful last year. He really opened some eyes in Spring Training, and logged some time in major league camp. Every time the Angels got him into the game, he started getting clutch hit after clutch hit, including a run scoring double off Dodgers super-prospect Julio Urias. Fletcher had injury woes while in the Cal League and thus the numbers didn’t match his ability. Once he was healthy, he started to really get into a groove. That .300 batting average in AA is a result of Fletcher coming in hot and staying hot. David was simply ok in the Arizona Fall League, he was a reserve so he didn’t get the playing time other more hyped prospects got. Still, he was solid.
What to expect next season: Fletcher is expected to make a return trip to AA next season. He logged 20 games in Arkansas last year, and he hit .300, and it doesn’t look like it was a fluke. But Fletcher could still use a little more time to fine tune his current skills. We’ll see if David can see the same success next year as he did last year. If he does, we may see Fletcher in the majors in 2017. There’s also the off chance Fletcher opens camp in AAA, which makes his appearance in Anaheim next year all but certain. Though it’s completely unlikely, Fletcher could potentially unseat Cliff Pennington as the utility infielder at some point this season. More likely, he’ll inherit the job next year.
Estimated Time of Arrival: 2018, as a 24 year old. .
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