Report: Ex-Angels IF David Fletcher Bet with Bookmaker Tied to Ippei Mizuhara Scandal

Former Los Angeles Angels infielder David Fletcher bet on sports with the same illegal bookmaker who allegedly accepted wagers from Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, according to ESPN's Tisha Thompson.

Fletcher spent six seasons playing with Ohtani and the Angels between 2018 and 2023. He was traded in December and is currently playing with the Gwinnett Stripers, the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A affiliate.

Colby Schultz, a "close friend" of Fletcher who spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons playing for Kansas City Royals affiliates, bet with the same bookmaker on baseball, Thompson reported.

Schultz's bets included Angels games that Fletcher was playing in, according to Thompson.

Thompson further identified Schultz as one of the bookmakers cited by federal authorities in an ongoing investigation into Mizuhara, who has been accused of stealing more than $16 million from Ohtani to pay off gambling debt.

Some of those bets were allegedly placed with Orange County's Mathew Bowyer, per ESPN's Alden Gonzalez and Paula Lavigne.

Bowyer also allegedly accepted Fletcher's bets, Thompson reported.

Federal authorities stated that the first bookmaker, identified by ESPN as Bowyer, shared Mizuhara's wire transfer information with another bookmaker, who was identified in the complaint as "Bookmaker 3."

Thompson reported that sources have identified Schultz as Bookmaker 3.

MLB is now expected to begin an investigation into Fletcher, Thompson reported.

At the time of the report, Fletcher remained active in the minor leagues. He was in the lineup for the Stripers on Friday night as he batted second in a road game against the Memphis Redbirds.

MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger described Ohtani and Fletcher as "particularly close as teammates" during Fletcher's last season with the Angels. An investigation into Fletcher will likely cast further scrutiny on Ohtani, although federal authorities have so far emphasized that the Los Angeles Dodgers star is considered a victim in the ongoing Mizuhara investigation.