Elbie Fletcher

Who was Elbie Fletcher?

Elburt Preston Fletcher was a professional baseball first baseman. He played all or part of 12 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Boston Braves and Bees, Pittsburgh Pirates and Braves again. 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.