No prospect has helped his own stock this spring more than David Fletcher

When the Southern California native was drafted in the sixth round out of Loyola Marymount University a year and nine months ago, David Fletcher could have never in his wildest dreams imagined that he’d advance to double-A so quickly in just his first full-season of minor league ball, much less have a golden opportunity to impress the Angels coaching staff.

Well, Fletcher, now 22, has done exactly that.

After performing above-average across rookie and A-ball in 2015, he performed decently in high-A last season, slashing .275/.321/.346 in 78 games. It was enough to earn him a promotion to double-A Arkansas, where he improved to post a .300/.325/.375 line, although in just 20 games. It is worth noting that Fletcher overcame a hand injury which took out his entire May and part of June, but hit .323 in the second half.

Fletcher can play shortstop or second base, and can likely handle third base in a pinch. This spring he has opened a lot of eyes, and he has gone from a future utilityman to something possibly more. We won’t see him in Anaheim in 2017 because, well, he’s only played 20 games at double-A and he hasn’t even played triple-A. Fletcher’s defense is up to major-league standards, but there’s no reason to hinder Fletcher’s offensive development by rushing him too quickly.

But, this is about his spring performance so let’s stick to it, shall we?

I didn’t think much of Fletcher until he kept our glorious unbeaten ST streak alive.

He’s willing to go the opposite way to get hits as well.

Oh yeah, did I mention that defense is his calling card? Pretty good baseball instincts on display.

A high pitch is no problem for Fletcher, who turns on the ball and laces a ball to left.

And all this isn’t even counting his speed! Fletcher has stolen three bases this spring and has not been caught.

Fletcher gained valuable experience last October in the Arizona Fall League as well as this spring, as he has made the most of his playing time thus far. The organization hopes his bat continues to develop, for he has the opportunity to carve out a niche for himself on a future Angels team.

The Angels front office has known it for a while now, but now the Angels coaching staff does too. David Fletcher is the real deal, and he’s on his way to the big A.

You can check out our prospect writeup on David Fletcher here.