Elbie Fletcher Stats & Facts

Player

Elbie Fletcher Essentials

Positions:
Bats: L Throws: L
Height: 72 Weight: 180
Born: Saturday, March 18, 1916 in Milton, MA USA
Died: 3 9 1994 in Milton, MA USA
Debut: 9/16/1934
Last Game: 10/2/1949
Full Name: Elburt Preston Fletcher

 

Elbie Fletcher, first baseman for the 1939-43 and 1946-47 Pirates. The Pirates acquired him from the Boston Bees in exchange for infielder Bill Schuster on June 15, 1939. Fletcher would end up playing 916 games in Pittsburgh while the Bees got just two games out of Schuster. Fletcher stepped right into the starting first baseman role and hit .303 with 71 RBIs in 102 games that first year. In 1940 he started a streak of three straight seasons with over 100 walks, while leading the NL in OBP each season. He not only walked 119 times in 1940 to lead the league, he also drove in 104 runs and scored 94 times. In 1941 he had an NL leading 118 walks, scored 95 runs and drove in 74 while hitting a career high 13 triples and 29 doubles. After a .289 average and 105 walks in 1942, Elbie made his only All-Star appearance in 1943. That year he led all NL first baseman in assists, putouts and fielding percentage.

Fletcher would lose the next two years while serving in the military during WWII, returning to the Pirates in 1946 and picking up where he left off. He drew 111 walks, drove in 66 runs and scored 72 times. His numbers and playing time dropped in 1947 and then following the season he was traded to the Indians in exchange for veteran first baseman Les Fleming. Fletcher spent the 1948 seasons in the minors before getting one more year at the big league level right back where he started, spending the 1949 season with the Braves. He finished his career in the minors in 1950. For the Pirates, Fletcher hit .279 with 625 walks and 464 RBIs in 916 games.

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