By Theo DeRosa, Sports Talk Philly staff
Outfielder Derek Fisher, who was replaced by Mark Appel in the return package the Houston Astros sent the Phillies in the Ken Giles trade, has beaten Appel to the major leagues.
The Astros announced Wednesday that they were calling up the 23-year-old outfielder from the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies. Fisher posted a triple-slash line of .335/.401/.608 in the Pacific Coast League, so it's easy to see why the Astros deemed him worthy of promotion. Before the 2017 season, MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo slotted Fisher No. 83 on his Top 100 Prospects list.
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From Dec. 9 to Dec. 12, 2015, Fisher was, at least in every rumor, part of the Phillies organization. The first reports of a deal made between Philadelphia and Houston for flame-throwing reliever Ken Giles included four players in the return: Vince Velasquez, Brett Oberholtzer, a player to be named later (Thomas Eshelman, now pitching well at Lehigh Valley)…and Fisher. Fisher was the 37th overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft and one of Houston's top prospects.
On Dec. 9, the news broke: 'Phils obtain outfielder Fisher from Astros,' an MILB.com story from the day blared. Three days later, it was revealed that former No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel had replaced Fisher in the deal. Joining the Phillies was pitcher Harold Arauz, and also headed to Houston was shortstop Jonathan Arauz .
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At the time of the trade, Appel was the No. 43 prospect in baseball. Since joining the Phillies, he has posted an ERA of 4.46 in 38.1 innings in 2016 and an ERA of 5.65 in 58.1 innings in 2017. Appel underwent surgery in June 2016 to remove a bone spur in his elbow, ending his season.
So Appel is 25 years old, inconsistent and floundering in Triple-A. Fisher killed the PCL until he earned a call-up. Had the Phillies had the choice today, it's easy to say they would have stuck with Fisher. But, of course, hindsight is 20/20.
