Linedrive-hitting, fancy-fielding, lefthanded Elbie Fletcher debuted with the 1934 Braves; he had attracted their attention by organizing a newspaper write-in campaign in his own behalf. Traded to Pittsburgh in June 1939, Fletcher batted .290 that year, had 104 RBI in 1940, drew the most walks in the NL in 1940 and 1941, and started in the 1943 All-Star Game. In 1944 Fletcher paced the Bainbridge, MD Naval Training Station team (which included ML veterans Dick Bartell and Buddy Blattner) in batting.
