Dynasty Fantasy Baseball: 10 Players to Buy Before Opening Day
Derek Fisher, OF, Houston Astros
Rejoice and be glad. Houston Astros outfielder Derek Fisher has officially won the Opening-Day job in left field, and we can finally allow our insides to get all tingly.
J.D. Davis and Derek Fisher have made the Astros' Opening Day roster.
Tyler White and Tony Kemp were option to Triple-A.
25-man roster is set.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) March 24, 2018
Fisher had to hold off a late push from Tony Kemp, but he's now in line to get the start against righties. Given how good this Astros lineup is, there's a lot of value in that.
Getting regular plate appearances will also allow Fisher to flash all the talent he brings to the table. Although Fisher struck out in 32.5% of his big-league plate appearances last year, his strikeout rate in Triple-A over two seasons was 19.9%. Fewer strikeouts would allow him to tap into his 38.0% hard-hit rate more often and flash his speed on the bases. Fisher stole 31 bases in 2015, 28 in 2016, and 19 last year between all levels. That's juicy.
He's a potential power-speed guy in a good lineup entering his age-24 season. His situation may not be overly rosy right now thanks to his platoon and low spot in the batting order, but with the skills he has, we shouldn't rule out a quick ascent.
The other guy who made the roster late was J.D. Davis. He's not going to play as often as Fisher right away, but the dude can certainly bop. He had 30 home runs last year between all levels and posted a 39.5% hard-hit rate in a small sample in the majors. He's going to be much easier to acquire, so it would be wise to check in on the Davis owner in your league before Davis wiggles his way into more playing time.
