WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. | Derek Fisher was drafted out of the University of Virginia in 2014 by Houston, and that season the Astros went on to lose 92 games.
The year before that, the Astros were defeated 111 times, and Houston lost 213 games combined from 2011-12. That adds up to 416 losses in a four-year span.
So that made last season even more enjoyable for outfielder Fisher and the Astros, who won the World Series in seven games over the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was the first World Series title for Houston, which landed a big league team in 1962.
“It is awesome. We have a lot of guys I played with in the minor leagues the whole way (up to Houston). There are guys that have been here from 2012, the whole time,” said Fisher, 24, standing by his locker in the Houston clubhouse at The FitTeam Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.
Fisher said he took time to enjoy the offseason, including attending the University of Virginia baseball banquet in late January. At that banquet, Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and closer Sean Doolittle became members of the first class of former Cavaliers to be inducted into the school’s baseball Hall of Fame.
Fisher has a long way to go before he equals the Major League resumes of Zimmerman and Doolittle.
A native of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, he was one of nine Virginia players drafted in 2014. Fisher worked his way up through the Astros minor league system before being called up to the majors last June.
Fisher then made the World Series roster for the Astros, mostly as a pinch runner, and scored the winning run in Game 5 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“It was something I will remember the rest of my life,” Fisher said. “That is something we will all remember.”
Now, Fisher is trying to make Houston’s Opening Day roster for the first time. The left-hitting outfielder batted .318 with 21 homers in 84 games last season for Triple-A Fresno and .212 with five homers with the Astros in 146 at bats. He started in outfield against the Nationals in the first spring training game on Feb. 23.
“Last year he made a lot of strides on both side of the ball,” said Pete Putila, the director of player development for the Astros. “He is a guy who has made strides offensively and defensively. The major league staff was impressed with his power and speed on the bases. We were mulling over a couple of different options (for a postseason roster). It seemed we would need a pinch runner and he is one of fastest, most explosive guys we have. He ended up scoring one of the biggest runs in the playoffs.”
Fisher could make the Opening Day roster as the team’s left fielder.
“He is right where he needs to be for a spot on the starting nine,” Putila said. “We could not be more thrilled. He is putting it all together, which is really exciting.”
Fisher is the tenth position player who played under associate head coach Kevin McMullan at Virginia to make the majors. Another is center fielder Chris Taylor, who starred in the World Series for the Dodgers.
“I will tell you this about Derek: he came from a small town in central Pennsylvania and he always showed up to work every day,” McMullan told The Washington Times. “He was eager to learn. Sometimes in player development you can be frustrated when it is not going your way. He showed up every day to work. He wanted to get better.”
The Astros rookie was roommates at Virginia with Nick Howard, a prospect with the Cincinnati Reds, who was a first-round pick in 2014. Now Fisher is with another winning outfit.
“What I really like about this team is there is no one that feels they know it all,” Fisher said. “When I got called up I just watched with my own eyes. I wanted to see that myself. Most important, we all get along. That is something you can’t take for granted. Our clubhouse is a great place to be. We rub off each other in a good way.”
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