Astros Countdown: Top Five Untouchable Prospects

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HOUSTON, TX – JUNE 14: Derek Fisher #21 of the Houston Astros hits his first major league home run as well as first hit in the major leagues in the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Minute Maid Park on June 14, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

The reason why outfielder Derek Fisher is so valuable for the Astros is that he is so close to earning a permanent spot at the major league level.

His stats this season at Triple-A Fresno has been video game-like. The No. 4 prospect in the Astros system and the No. 70 prospect in baseball according to MLB.com is hitting .314 with a .970 OPS in 81 games. He leads the Grizzlies with 21 home runs, 26 doubles, and a .589 slugging percentage. He has also driven in 62 RBIs while scoring himself 61 times.

The amount of improvement in Fisher’s offensive approach is very noticeable. In 331 at bats this season with the Grizzlies, he has a career low 18.9 percent strikeout percentage. Before this season, he did not have a percentage under 20 percent.

The Astros have seen the potential from this 23-year-old. They called him up for a brief seven-game stint with the major league club in the middle of June. In his five games played, Fisher hit .278 with a .992 OPS. Two of his five hits in that stint left the hard while he drove in three RBIs and scored himself three times.

It will not be long before Fisher is up to the majors for good. With the numbers he is putting up in Fresno, he will force the Astros’ hand eventually.

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