Toronto Blue Jays 2020 Report Cards: Derek Fisher

The Jays Journal staff have begun writing report cards on Blue Jays players for the 2020 season. For this segment, I will be discussing the outfielder, Derek Fisher.

The Toronto Blue Jays acquired Derek Fisher in a trade with the Houston Astros at the trade deadline in 2019. To get Fisher, the Jays sent Aaron Sanchez and Joe Biagini to the Astros. At the time of the trade, Fisher was still considered to be a prospect who had done little with his short stint in the big leagues.

Before being acquired by the Jays, the 25-year-old Fisher had a slash line of .201 /.282/.367 in 312 plate appearances at the big league level. Sanchez and Biagini were significant contributors to the Jays’ success throughout their playoff runs, so when this trade occurred, there were fairly high expectations for the young Fisher.

In the shortened 2020 MLB season, Derek Fisher finished the season with a .226/.359/.452 slash line with 1 home run and 7 RBIs in only 31 at-bats. He did walk seven times in his 39 plate appearances, which shows the improvement in his at-bats.

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Considering how small the sample size was this past season, it is difficult to say that Fisher is not capable of being an everyday player. However, with great seasons from outfielders Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Teoscar Hernandez, and Randal Grichuk, the Jays may not be eager to re-sign Fisher unless he improves in 2021.

If we are to look at the positives, Fisher is still under contract for the 2021 season. As we currently speak, there is not much depth in the Blue Jays outfield. However, if any of the Blue Jays everyday outfielders are to perform poorly or go down with an injury, then Fisher would likely be one of the first guys in line to replace them. If Fisher can perform better in 2021, he could be an impactful player for the Jays in hopes of making a deep playoff run.

Overall, Derek Fisher is no longer a prospect. If he has any hopes of remaining a big-league player beyond next season, he is going to have to perform at a higher level in 2021.

Grade: N/A (too small of sample size)