Elbie Fletcher

Elbie Fletcher
First baseman
Born: March 18, 1916(1916-03-18) Milton, Massachusetts
Died: March 18, 1916(1916-03-18) (aged -78) Milton, Massachusetts
Batted: Left	Threw: Left
MLB debut
September 16, 1934 for the Boston Braves
Last MLB appearance
October 2, 1949 for the Boston Braves
Career statistics
Batting average	.271
Home runs	79
Runs batted in	616
Teams
Boston Braves/Bees (1934-35, 1937-39) Pittsburgh Pirates (1939-43, 1946-47) Boston Braves (1949)
Career highlights and awards
1943 National League All-Star Three-time led NL in on-base percentage (1940-42) Twice led NL in walks (1940-41) Led NL in hit by pitches (1940)

Elburt Preston "Elbie" Fletcher (March 18, 1916 – March 9, 1994) was a professional baseball first baseman. He played all or part of 12 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Boston Braves (1934-35) and Bees (1937-39), Pittsburgh Pirates (1939-43, 1946-47) and Braves again (1949). Fletcher batted and threw left-handed.

Fletcher made his major league debut in 1934 in an unusual way. A contest was held to determine which Boston-area high school player was most likely to reach the major leagues, with the winner receiving an invitation to the Braves' spring training camp. With the help of a number of votes from his large family, Fletcher won, and then actually made the team.

In a 12-season career, Fletcher posted a .271 batting average with 79 home runs and 616 RBI in 1415 games played.

Fletcher died in Milton, Massachusetts, 9 days before his 78th birthday, and was buried in Milton Cemetery.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)