David Fletcher has become sort of a cult hero among Angels fans. The memeable utility man turning into an indispensable and interchangeable piece on the roster last season, having played at least 20 games at four different positions. But Fletcher also showed he could handle himself at the plate, batting .290/.350/.384 in nearly 600 plate appearances. It’s when you look deeper into how he got his hits that an interesting story evolves.
To understand why Fletcher is a bit of a strange hitter, you need to understand expected batting average (xBA), a metric derived from Statcast data.