Baseball – 2022 MLB Draft Profile: Andrew Fischer, Wall
Shore Conference 2022 MLB Draft Hopeful Profile
Andrew Fischer, 3B, Wall
College Plans: Duke University
HS Senior-Year Stats: .382/.564/.684, 4 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 22 R, 27 RBI, 9 SB
High-School Resume
Fischer was already committed to Duke before he played his first varsity game and once he got a chance to step on the varsity diamond, he lived up to the ACC commitment. As a junior, Fischer was a Shore Sports Network Third-Team All-Shore selection and this past spring, he made the leap to the First Team. Fischer led the Shore Conference in walks each of the past two seasons and during his two-year varsity career, the Wall third baseman drew 60 walks against only 25 strikeouts, including a 33-to-10 ratio this past spring.
Fischer’s varsity career got off to a late start because of Wall boasting a loaded, senior-led team during his freshman year in 2019, followed by the canceled 2020 season. He then played designated hitter for most of his junior season and finally showed the other dimensions to his game this year by playing a quality third base and even serving as Wall’s top reliever and best pitcher on an inning-by-inning basis.
Why Teams Like Him
As his walk-to-strikeout ration indicates, Fischer’s approach is advanced for a prep prospect, to the point that you won’t find very many high-school players anywhere in the country better are controlling the strike zone from the batter's box than Fischer does. Fischer swings at strikes and makes a lot of contact when he does, and while carrying that ability with him to the next level against higher velocity won’t necessarily be seamless transition, it’s a very good starting point.
On top of his advanced approach, Fischer grades high for his makeup. He is as respected as any player in the Shore Conference and showed this year with his performance on the mound that he is willing to do what it takes to win. He is also the son of Wall’s wrestling coach, Brian Fischer, so he has the disposition and perspective of a coach on the field.
Why Teams Might Hesitate
There are some questions about what position Fischer will play, both at college and, potentially, in a Major League organization. With his demonstrating pitching prowess, he showed enough arm to be playable at third base, so the questions stem more from his reaction time, hands and footwork at the hot corner. While he is not an exceptional athlete, Fischer moves well enough to stay at third base if he can keep improving. On top of that, his approach is good enough to play in the lineup if he moves to first base or an outfield corner.
The other question is how much more power he has in his bat than he has already shown. Fischer is very well-put-together already, so there won’t be much weight for him to put on the way someone like Cam Leiter is likely to add in the coming years. If his strike-zone judgement and ability to make contact translates, though, his power shouldn’t be an issue.
Fischer was not really on the mainstream draft radar, but ESPN recently bumped him into the top 200 on its draft board. That is significant because ESPN’s draft coverage is run by Kiley McDaniel, who was the Atlanta Braves assistant director of baseball operations as recently as 2017. McDaniel usually has unique perspective and knowledge about what teams are looking for and the last few weeks suggest Fischer might be on the radar of several teams to take a deal sometime in the first five or six rounds, if you take the ESPN perspective at face value. Like Crotchfelt, Fischer has a very nice safety net with his Duke commitment if teams decide to pass in the first two days of the Draft.
Other 2022 MLB Draft Hopefuls from the Shore
Trey Dombroski, Monmouth (Wall)
Noah Dean, Old Dominion (Pinelands)
Liam Simon, Notre Dame (Freehold Twp.)
Zach Crotchfelt, Jackson Memorial
Alex Iadisernia, Elon (Jackson Memorial)
David Glancy, St. John's (Red Bank Catholic)
Chris Sparber, Louisberg College (Red Bank Catholic)
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