Aaron Eugene Fletcher (born February 25, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He played college baseball for the University of Houston. Fletcher was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 14th round of the 2018 MLB draft. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Early years

Fletcher attended Langham Creek High School in Houston, Texas.^[1] He attended the University of Houston and played college baseball for the Cougars.^[2] Fletcher underwent Tommy John surgery on March 11, 2016.^[2] in 2018 after going 7-3 with a 2.19 ERA in 94.1 innings, Fletcher was named the AAC 2018 Pitcher of the Year.^[2][3]

Career

Washington Nationals

Fletcher was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 14th round, with the 431st overall selection, of the 2018 MLB draft.^[4] In 2018, he played for the Gulf Coast Nationals and the Auburn Doubledays, going 2–1 with a 2.90 ERA in 31 innings.^[5] He pitched for the Hagerstown Suns, Potomac Nationals, and Harrisburg Senators in the Washington organization in 2019, going a combined 5–4 with a 1.79 ERA in 60 innings.^[5]

Seattle Mariners

On July 31, 2019, the Nationals traded Fletcher, Taylor Guilbeau, and Elvis Alvarado to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Roenis Elías and Hunter Strickland.^[6] He was assigned to the Arkansas Travelers, compiling a 3.46 ERA over 13 innings.^[7] Fletcher played for the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League following the 2019 season, and was named a Fall League All-Star.^[8]

Fletcher had his contract selected to the active roster on August 21, 2020.^[9] He made his major league debut the next day, throwing a scoreless inning in relief against the Texas Rangers.^[10] In 2020, he pitched 4.1 innings for the Mariners. In 2021, Fletcher made 4 appearances for Seattle, struggling to a 12.27 ERA with 2 strikeouts. He spent the majority of the year with Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers, making 39 appearances and registering 4-0 record and 3.47 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 49.1 innings pitched.^[11]

Pittsburgh Pirates

On March 13, 2022, Fletcher was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.^[12] He split time between the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians and the Pirates. In 9 appearances for Pittsburgh, he struggled to an 0-1 record and 6.94 ERA with 6 strikeouts in 11.2 innings pitched. Concurrently, his Indianapolis numbers were far better, with a 1.45 ERA with 9 strikeouts in 18.2 innings of work.^[13] On July 8, 2022, Fletcher was designated for assignment.

San Francisco Giants

On July 14, 2022, Fletcher was claimed off waivers by the San Francisco Giants.^[14] Following the waiver claim of Alex Young on July 18, Fletcher was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats.^[15] He made 15 appearances for Triple-A Sacramento, struggling immensely to the tune of a 15.15 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 13.2 innings pitched.

Fletcher began the 2023 season with Sacramento, but was again hit hard, allowing 8 earned runs on 8 hits, 7 walks, and 2 strikeouts in 3.0 innings pitched. He was released by the Giants organization on April 20, 2023.^[16]