In the latest Shohei Ohtani news, it was discovered that former teammate David Fletcher and current minor league player is linked to the same illegal bookmaker that Ippei Mizuara is. The news broke on the newly announced Shohei Ohtani Day in Los Angeles as well. Fletcher was Ohtani’s teammate from 2018-2023.
How is David Fletcher Connected to the Shohei Ohtani News?
ESPN was the first to break the Shohei Ohtani news on May 17th. The gambling scandal has been ongoing with Shohei’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, had been quieting down a bit. Fletcher is reported to have placed bets with the same bookmaker that Mizuhara did (Mathew Bowyer). Mizuhara is reported to have stolen almost $17million from Ohtani in the scandar. Colby Schultz who played in the Kansas City Royals farm system (2018-2020) and a friend of Fletcher also placed bets on baseball and Angels games that Fletcher was in. Fletcher is not reported to have bet on baseball.
Has MLB Investigated David Fletcher as part of the Gambling Scandal?
From what we understand from ESPN and X, MLB has not investigated Fletcher to date. They now plan to do so. He is playing for the Atlanta Braves minor league system (AAA) now after being traded by the Angels. There has not been an update from the Dodgers or MLB as of the time of this writing. The last big article about Shohei was about LA honoring him with the naming Day and his hitting a tank on the same day.
What Happens if Shohei Ohtani is Implicated in the Gambling Scandal?
To date, Ohtani has claimed innocence of the entire situation. We now have his Japanese interpreter who was his best friend, and a close friend from the Angels implicated. Many will find it hard to believe that he was oblivious to everything, so an update from his camp, the Dodgers, or MLB is to be expected at some point.
The longer they wait, the longer folks have to form a negative opinion. MLB players are allowed to gamble on non-baseball events. The rules are pretty clear though. If a player bets on games he did not participate in, they are banned for a year. If they bet on their own games, then it is a permanent ban.
What are Shohei Ohtani’s Stats in 2024 so Far?
| G | AB | R | H | TB | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 45 | 179 | 36 | 64 | 121 | 16 | 1 | 13 | 32 | 23 | 40 | 11 | 0.358 | 0.426 | 0.676 | 1.102 |
Here are Shohei Ohtani’s s stats through games on May 17th, 2024, with the LA Dodgers. He is leading MLB in batting average and home runs right now. He’s less than 10 RBI’s off of the overall MLB lead in RBIs too. Right now, he’s on pace for about 45 home runs and 110 RBIs for the season barring any big slumps. So, he’s definitely making a run at being the NL MVP if he keeps up the pace. Hopefully the latest news doesn’t implicate something deeper. We’ll keep you posted.
