Former Angels infielder David Fletcher placed bets with the illegal Southern California gambling ring operated by Mathew Bowyer, according to a report from ESPN’s Tisha Thompson. That’s the same bookmaker with whom Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara placed bets. According to ESPN, Fletcher did not place any bets on baseball.
Thompson writes that Fletcher placed bets on multiple other sports. MLB players are allowed to gamble on sports other than baseball, though they’re obviously not permitted to participate in an illegal operation. Thompson writes that MLB has not previously opened an investigation into Fletcher’s gambling activities but is now likely to do so.
According to ESPN, former minor league infielder Colby Schultz also participated in the gambling ring. Thompson writes that Schultz, whom the report describes as a “close friend” of Fletcher’s, did bet on baseball — including on Angel games while Fletcher was on the team. There is no indication that Fletcher did not perform to the best of his abilities while with the Angels.
Bowyer’s bookmaking ring was thrust into the national spotlight in March, when it was first reported that Mizuhara had wired significant sums of money to pay off debts. Ohtani stated that he was unaware of Mizuhara’s activities. A criminal investigation supported that claim, with investigators determining that Mizuhara had stolen upwards of $16MM from the two-time MVP. Mizuhara pled guilty to bank fraud and filing a false tax return last week. He is awaiting sentencing and is expected to serve multiple years in federal prison.
Fletcher played for the Angels between 2018-23, overlapping with Ohtani and Mizuhara for six years. The Halos traded him to the Braves in an offseason salary dump. Fletcher has appeared in five games for Atlanta this season. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster in April and is with their Triple-A team in Gwinnett.