Braves Utility Infielder Connected to Shohei Ohtani Gambling Scandal

Atlanta Braves infielder David Fletcher reportedly utilised the same illicit bookmaker that fired Ohtani interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, according to ESPN reports.

David Fletcher, an Atlanta Braves infielder and former shortstop for the Los Angeles Angels, is involved in the same gambling incident that included former Shohei Ohtani interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. / American TODAY Sports/ Robert Hanashiro

One of the biggest baseball stories of the year will soon mention the Atlanta Braves. Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers, defrauded Los Angeles Dodgers player Shohei Ohtani of almost $17 million. Mizuhara has pled guilty to numerous federal charges, including federal bank fraud and filing a false tax return related to his use of an illicit bookmaking operation based in Southern California. The week before Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, Ohtani and the Dodgers were in South Korea for a two-game series against the San Diego Padres when the news surfaced.

According to recent reports from ESPN’s Tisha Thompson, utilityman David Fletcher, who is now with Triple-A Gwinnett but was formerly a member of the Los Angeles Angels during Ohtani’s tenure with the team, has ties to the Braves. According to Thompson’s investigation, Fletcher and a teammate who played in the lesser leagues also bet on different sports illegally using the same bookmaker, Mathew Bowyer. While the friend, who went by Colby Schultz, not only bet on baseball but also on games that Fletcher participated in while he was a member of the Angels major league club, Fletcher did not place bets on baseball.

• As per Thompson’s report, no comments were provided by MLB, the Atlanta Braves, Fletcher, or the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, which is the prosecuting attorney for Mizuhara. Thompson received confirmation from a league source that Fletcher was not under investigation before her story, but that the league is “now expected to be” looking into him.