Scott Brian Fletcher (born July 30, 1958), is a former professional baseball player who played shortstop and second base in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

from 1981 to 1995. Fletcher is related to Michael Barrett, who also played for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

. Fletcher graduated from

Wadsworth High School Wadsworth High School is a public high school for grades 9 through 12 in Wadsworth, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Wadsworth City School District. ...

Wadsworth, Ohio Wadsworth is a city in Medina County, Ohio, United States. It is counted as part of the Cleveland metropolitan area, although it functions mainly as a suburb of Akron. Founded on March 1, 1814, the city was named after General Elijah Wadsworth, a ...

in 1976.

Playing career

Fletcher was signed by the

in the 1979 amateur draft and made his major league debut with the team in 1981. After two years in a limited role, the Cubs traded Fletcher to their intercity rival, the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

in 1983. With the emergence of

Ozzie Guillén Oswaldo José Guillén Barrios (; born January 20, 1964) is a former professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for 16 seasons, primarily with the Chicago White Sox, from 1985 to 2000. During tha ...

in 1985, Fletcher was traded to the Texas Rangers at the end of the 1985 season. In he hit .300 (15th best in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

) for the Rangers and was named the American League Player of the Month for July. In 1988, Fletcher became the first professional athlete in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to earn more than $1 million a year. After a slow start to the 1989 season, which saw him bat only .239 through 83 games, Fletcher was traded back to the

at the trade deadline. Fletcher would split the remaining seasons of his career with the White Sox,

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

, and

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. He retired in 1995. When reflecting on Fletcher's playing career,

Bill James George William James (born October 5, 1949) is an American baseball writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has written more than two dozen books devoted to baseball history and statistics. ...

noted that Fletcher "didn't do anything exceptionally well" and that he mainly "filled a slot", though he ranked him the 85th best shortstop of all time.

Coaching career

After retiring in 1995, Fletcher became the manager for the minor league

Charleston RiverDogs The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They are located in Charleston, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The RiverDogs' home stadium is Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Hi ...

in 1997. He later became an assistant coach at

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

from 1999 to 2004. Fletcher became the Colorado Rockies' infield coordinator in 2009. He was hired as an assistant hitting coach to Greg Walker on October 21, 2011. Fletcher left the Braves at the end of the 2014 season. Scott is currently a minor league instructor for the Detroit Tigers.

Legacy

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

named his dog

Spot Fetcher Spot "Spotty" Fetcher (March 17, 1989 – February 21, 2004) was U.S. President George W. Bush's dog. She was an English Springer Spaniel, named after Scott Fletcher, a baseball player with the Texas Rangers, a team George W. Bush owned before ...

after Fletcher while Bush was the owner of the Texas Rangers. The dog, an

English Springer Spaniel The English Springer is a breed of gun dog in the Spaniel group traditionally used for flushing and retrieving game. It is an affectionate, excitable breed with a typical lifespan of twelve to fourteen years. They are very similar to the Wels ...

, remained with the Bushes throughout George W. Bush's term as

Governor of Texas The governor of Texas heads the state government of Texas. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branch of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military. The current governor is Greg Abbott, who ...

(1995–2000) but died in 2004 during Bush's first term as

US President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

References

External links

Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Scott 1958 births Living people Atlanta Braves coaches Baseball players from Florida Boston Red Sox players Chicago Cubs players Chicago White Sox players Detroit Tigers players Geneva Cubs players Georgia Southern Eagles baseball players Iowa Oaks players Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Midland Cubs players Milwaukee Brewers players Minor league baseball managers Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Fort Walton Beach, Florida People from Wadsworth, Ohio Texas Rangers players Toledo Rockets baseball players Valencia Matadors baseball players