David Fletcher is making the most of his opportunity with the Atlanta Braves. While down in the minors, he has made a few surprise appearances at a new position, the mound.
He has pitched several times for the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers, with some success. Now, he will get his shot as a starting pitcher, as he will take the ball for his team on Wednesday night.
Fletcher has been keeping hitters off balance with something that looks a lot like a knuckleball. It comes in at 60+ mph and dances around the plate. He was even able to strikeout MLB's No. 99 prospect, Victor Scott II.
With Shohei Ohtani not taking the mound this season after undergoing UCL surgery, baseball fans get their fix of two-way action. Hopefully, Fletcher will be able to keep grooving on the mound on Wednesday.
"Taking the Shohei cosplay a bit far are we" - one fan posted.
"Yeah he's betting his under strikeouts, will tail that" - posted another.
"Where can we find AAA odds to fade" - posted another.
Some fans are looking for some minor-league props to bet on. They are looking to cash in by fading the infielder's strikeouts prop.
"Dude is getting $6MM this season. Might as well earn it" - said another fan.
"Talk about a gamble" - said another.
"I wouldn't bet on him" - said another.
Wednesday night will mark the fourth time Fletcher has pitched on the pro stage. He has a 0-1 record with a 9.0 ERA over six innings. While that's nothing to write home about, he's making the most of his opportunity with his new squad.
Braves utilityman David Fletcher is under investigation by the league
A few weeks ago, it was reported that David Fletcher was under investigation by the league for allegedly gambling with the same bookie Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, used.
He has not been accused of gambling on baseball, but his friend and Kansas City Royals minor leaguer, Colby Schultz, bet on baseball. Some of the games Schultz bet on were believed to be Los Angeles Angels games in which Fletcher played.
While under investigation, Fletcher has remained an active player. Schultz, though, has not played since the 2019 season and will likely never do so again.