Houston Astros prospect Derek Fisher hitting streak reaches 16 games
By Tim Boyle
Houston Astros prospect Derek Fisher is knocking loudly on the MLB door, begging to get in. The 23-year-old outfielder is currently on a 16-game hitting streak and pleading his case to see some big league action.
The number-four prospect in the Houston Astros’ system went 3-for-5 on Saturday and raised his batting average to a terrific .336 on the season. Fisher isn’t just doing this with singles either. He has eight home runs through his first 151 plate appearances to go along with nine doubles.
This season has been a big improvement for the already successful Fisher. He hit only .255 last season and .275 the year before. A high batting average is new, but hitting home runs is not. Fisher produced 43 home runs combined over the last two seasons on his way to becoming a top MLB prospect.
Fisher’s minor league statistics are somewhat reminiscent of current Astros outfielder George Springer. He is hitting for power and stealing bases regularly. Unfortunately, Fisher is also striking out on average more than once per game. He fanned 154 times last season in the 129 games he spent at Double-A and Triple-A. Thankfully, he did draw 83 walks to help create a little more balance. So even though the batting average looks unsustainable, Fisher will find ways to get on base.
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Aside from injury, it will be very tough for Fisher to reach Houston this season before the September call-ups. The Astros are the best team in baseball and to mess with their chemistry could backfire. Even though the Astros have no long-term plans with left fielder Nori Aoki, he is hitting well enough to keep his at-bats.
Since this streak began on April 25, Fisher is 31-for-71 with three home runs. This equates to a .437 batting average over this 16-game span. It has surely raised his stock significantly and caught the eye of the Astros.
Wisely, the Astros have not defined Fisher at any one particular outfield position. Fisher has primarily played center field this year but has multiple starts at the two corner outfield spots as well. Center field has been his primary location throughout his professional career and the likely destination he lands when the Astros do insert him into the starting lineup. Of course, this would mean moving Springer again either back to right field or to left field. If moved to right field, Josh Reddick would need a position change too.
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Fisher’s name should appear a lot more in the Astros community this season. Whether it’s in regard to a promotion or as someone the team is rumored to have on the trade block, this latest hitting streak has caught the attention of many.