Astros in Fantasy: Derek Fisher’s Impact

It’s Derek Fisher Day! What sort of impact will this have for fantasy owners?

The Astros finally called up top prospect Derek Fisher from Triple-A Fresno. He has been raking all season to the tune of a .335/.401/.608 line with 16 homers, 19 doubles and 13 steals. Is he worth picking up in fantasy baseball?

For those who own Josh Reddick, who is now on the 7-day concussion DL, Fisher is definitely worth a look. He should receive at least semi-regular playing time while Reddick is out, and he could provide solid production.

The question is if Fisher will have any value once Reddick returns. To an extent, this hinges on how he plays in place of Reddick. If his hot hitting makes the trip with him from Fresno, he could force the club to keep him in Houston.

This would likely make Nori Aoki expendable, as his .273/.320/.338 batting line is less than stellar. There is no guarantee, of course, that Fisher will stay in Houston even if he plays well. But he could give the Astros a difficult choice to make when Reddick returns.

As potent as Fisher’s bat has been in Fresno, he’s worth taking a chance on. If you have the roster space to add him, he’s worth taking a flier on. He provides solid all-around production at the plate, and though his base stealing needs work, he’s a threat to swipe a few bags.

It’s unlikely he fully replicates his ridiculous numbers from Triple-A, but he could prove to be an above-average major league hitter. That’s at least worth a roster spot. And if you’re in a keeper league, his value only increases.

Next: Astros: Derek Fisher makes A.J. Hinch's job easy and hard

The verdict: Fisher is worth adding, at least for now. We’ll see if he sticks in the majors this year.

***Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference***