David Fletcher, former Los Angeles Angels infielder and current minor leaguer with the Atlanta Braves, reportedly gambled with the same illegal bookie that took bets from Ippei Mizuhara, according to a new report from ESPN.
The Worldwide Leader in Sports' Tisha Thompson wrote that Fletcher bet on several sports, but not baseball with Matthew Bowyer, who is currently part of a large and ongoing federal investigation that involves Mizuhara, who is under federal investigation for stealing nearly $17 million from now-Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani while he worked as his interpreter.
"Fletcher's close friend, Colby Schultz, who played in the Kansas City Royals' system from 2018 to 2020, placed bets on baseball, including on Angels games that Fletcher played in while he was on the team," said ESPN's report, citing unnamed sources.
Fletcher, who grew up in Orange County, and Ohtani were teammates from 2018 to 2023, during the Japanese star's entire tenure with the Halos. The two parted ways with the franchise in different ways following the season, when Ohtani signed a record-setting 10-year, $700-million contract with the Dodgers and Fletcher was traded to Atlanta.
ESPN says that Fletcher has been described as one of Ohtani's "closest friends in baseball."
During an interview in March, Fletcher reportedly told ESPN that he was at the same poker game in 2021 where Mizuhara met Bowyer.
"Fletcher said he did not introduce the interpreter to the bookie but that Bowyer gained entry to the poker game at the team hotel through an acquaintance of Fletcher," ESPN's report said. " Fletcher also told ESPN in March that he had met Bowyer once before while playing golf and that he knew Bowyer was a bookmaker at the time of the poker game. He said he never placed a bet himself with Bowyer's organization."
Major League Baseball's gambling policy prohibits players and team employees from placing wagers on baseball, as well as placing bets on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers.
The Associated Press reported that Major League Baseball is expected to investigate Fletcher's involvement.
Last week, Mizuhara pleaded not guilty to federal charges of stealing from Ohtani to pay off his gambling debts, which was merely a formality as he has agreed to plead guilty at a later date.
Dean Fioresi
Dean Fioresi is a web producer at KCAL News in Los Angeles. He covers breaking news throughout Southern California. When he's not writing about local events, he enjoys focusing on sports and entertainment.
