Down On The Farm With Dominic Fletcher
I was able to meet up and interview Dominic Fletcher recently, the Arizona Diamondbacks second round pick in 2019. He helped Arkansas make it to back to back College World Series appearances in 2018 and 2019, and he was the highest drafted player out of Arkansas this year. His brother David Fletcher is a Major Leaguer with the Los Angels of Anaheim. Dominic is a good defensive outfielder, and with a good left handed bat, he has a chance to make it to majors in a few years.
Also, check out my recent interview with the Marlins’ Connor Scott here.
James Weisser: Who is one of your favorite players to watch?
Dominic Fletcher: I like watching my brother. He’s a fun player to watch and he’s doing well this year. He sprays the ball over the yard and finds ways of getting on base. It’s fun watching him.
JW: Are there any players you try and model your game after, or look up to?
DF: Not too much. I kind of believe that everyone is kind of their own individual player and they should do their own thing and find whatever works for them. Obviously there are some guys who do some great things off the field like Mike Trout and others like that which I admire.
JW: What got you interested in the game of baseball?
DF: I was really young, maybe 2 years old and I saw my brother throwing a ball around and I wanted to do what he was doing. So we started really young throwing the ball around the back yard.
JW: What’s your favorite thing about the game?
DF: My favorite thing is there’s the highs and the lows. It doesn’t let you get too confident or anything until it knocks you down and you go 0 for 4. It helps you stay level headed. That’s kinda what I like about it.
JW: How are you using your position as an athlete to help others?
DF: When I was at Arkansas there was the Challenger games which helps kids and young adults with special needs play baseball, and so we get to go hang out with them and have a good time with them. It was a good experience helping them and having fun with them.
JW: What’s one of the things you’re proud of about your development?
DF: I’m pretty proud of my defense. I definitely think it’s one of the best parts about my game. I focus really hard on it because I feel like that’s something I can help my team with everyday. Obviously with hitting you’re going to have slumps; going to be on and off. But defense is something I can bring everyday to help my team win.
JW: How was the College World Series?
DF: It was good, obviously. It was a really fun trip, good crowds, fun to watch the Arkansas fans travel, and they travel well which is really nice. It was a little disappointing, being our second trip there after almost winning it two years ago. It was nice to get back there even though a lot of people didn’t think we could make it there. Being around my teammates for that long was fun.
JW: What’s your favorite movie?
DF: The Sandlot. It was on last night and it was a cool 4th of July movie that I watched a lot as a kid.
JW: What’s your favorite food?
DF: I’ve got a lot of favorite foods. I’m Italian so I like pasta. I’m gonna go pasta with some chicken or spaghetti and meatballs.
JW: What’s your favorite kind of music?
DF: I like it all. I’m a California guy who went to Arkansas. I like some rap and some country, and a little bit of everything.
JW: What do you like to do outside of baseball?
DF: I usually like to relax and rest up. Baseball takes a lot of my time, especially during the season.
JW: If you could have any super hero power, what would it be?
DF: I think it would be fun to be invisible.
JW: What’s a hidden talent or something people might not know about you?
DF: I can speak Italian and I can juggle a little bit.
