Ippei Mizuhara isn’t the only former Los Angeles Angels employee implicated in an illegal bookie operation; former Angels infielder David Fletcher reportedly was involved as well.
According to a report by ESPN’s Tisha Thompson, Fletcher placed bets with Mathew Bowyer’s illegal sportsbook operation—the same one Mizuhara used.
Fletcher reportedly only bet on sports other than baseball. However, betting with an illegal sportsbook violates MLB rules, even though MLB personnel are allowed to wager on non-baseball sports through legal channels.
ESPN reports that MLB is expected to investigate Fletcher, who is now a minor leaguer in the Atlanta Braves’ system.
Fletcher had already been linked to this story when it first surfaced in March. He is described as one of Shohei Ohtani’s best friends in baseball, and they were teammates on the Angels from 2018-2023. Mizuhara, Ohtani’s former interpreter until his firing in March, first connected with Bowyer at a 2021 poker game in San Diego. Bowyer was introduced to the poker game through an acquaintance of Fletcher.
Also named in Thompson’s report is Colby Schultz, a close friend of Fletcher. Schultz, a former minor-league player in the Kansas City Royals’ system, reportedly placed bets on baseball, including games involving Fletcher. Schultz was described as someone who both bet through Bowyer and served as a bookie for Bowyer.
Fletcher was a sixth-round pick by the Angels in 2015. The 29-year-old made his MLB debut in 2018 and had a strong start to his career, batting .290 with a .734 OPS over 154 games in 2019. He batted .319 over 49 games in the shortened 2020 season.
The Angels signed Fletcher to a five-year, $26 million deal before the 2021 season, but that contract turned out to be a bust. He was hampered by a hip injury in 2022 and then demoted to the minors last season. Fletcher was traded to the Atlanta Braves’ organization in December. He has played five games with the Braves this season but has mostly been with the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers.
