- Full name Rich Fischer
- Born
- Profile Throws: R
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Fischer wasn't getting much attention for his bat as a shortstop at San Bernardino Valley Junior College, but his arm strength and fluid, athletic actions prompted Angels area scout Tim Corcoran to work him out as pitcher. Fischer took to the mound immediately, though he tailed off in 2003 after working a system-high 176 innings the year before. His velocity tailed off from the low 90s and was simply average instead of plus. The consistency of his changeup and curveball suffered as well. Pitching coordinator Mike Butcher helped straighten out his mechanics, which were at the root of his problem. Fischer was collapsing his delivery on the backside, causing his stuff to flatten out. Butcher was able to get him to stay behind the ball and drive it downhill. Fischer was on his way to rediscovering his velocity and the sharpness to his slider in the Arizona Fall League before he was shut down with a tender elbow. He must continue to develop his secondary stuff, as he may have become too dependent upon his fastball because he commands it so well. He displays good natural touch with his changeup. Fischer will pitch for a chance to advance to Triple-A this spring. -
Fischer pitched all of 11 innings in junior college, but area scout Tim Corcoran liked his arm strength and action as a shortstop. He was solid in 2001, his first full season on the mound, and led the minors with four shutouts while finishing third in complete games and sixth in strikeouts in 2002. Fischer has made impressive progress. He pitches in the low 90s with severe finish to his fastball, and he tops out at 95 mph. He works with a plus changeup and above-average command, rare for a converted position player. He honed his delivery, improving his curveball life and depth. He uses his aggressive demeanor to go after hitters. Fischer occasionally drops his elbow when throwing his curve, causing it to flatten. His arm works free and easy, but the Angels should be cautious with his workload because he wasn't conditioned to throw many innings as an amateur. Though they're deep in pitching and received inquiries about him at the trade deadline, the Angels hung onto Fischer. He has lots of room for growth in velocity and approach. -
Though Fischer was a shortstop at San Bernardino Valley (Calif.) JC, scout Tim Corcoran coveted his arm strength and the Angels drafted him as a pitcher. Since leaving the bat behind, he has made encouraging progress on the mound. Fischer has an ideal pitcher's frame, a low-90s fastball and a good feel for a changeup. His breaking ball is usable and improved over the course of last year. Because he's so new to pitching, Fischer's delivery is a work in progress. He tends to push some of his pitches. While he had little trouble throwing strikes, Fischer needs to improve his offspeed stuff to fare better against lefthanders, who ripped him for a .332 average in 2001. The Angels are excited about his potential and they know they'll have to be patient while waiting for him to mature. He'll move a step up to high Class A in 2002.
Minor League Top Prospects
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Fischer was neck and neck with Nageotte for the minor league strikeout lead before Nageotte's double-digit streak. Unlike Nageotte, however, Fischer faced tougher competition in Double-A for most of the second half. Primarily a shortstop before Anaheim drafted him, Fischer shows a surprisingly advanced feel for pitching. He also has the ability to make adjustments and not just depend upon his pure arm strength, which is what attracted the Angels in the first place. "He keeps his cool pretty good," Owens said. "He's able to keep location on the ball, impressive location." Fischer can fire his fastball up to 95 mph. He also has improved his slider and changeup. "I think he can be a starter in the big leagues," Rancho Cucamonga manager Bobby Meacham said. "He showed life on his fastball at times. If he maintains that, he has big league stuff. He needs to consistently get movement."