The Phillies worked with Fisher at the Carpenter Complex in Clearwater following his signing. They also held him out of the full season leagues to give him more work with coaches at the complex with the plan of starting his pro career in the Florida Complex League (FCL).
His debut came on May 5 against the Yankees FCL team. Unfortunately, it didn’t go well for the 20-year-old right-hander. Fisher allowed three hits, hit two batters, and walked two others, all in just 2.1 innings of work. The result was six earned runs, an opponents’ against average of .300 and just 26 of his 52 pitches were for strikes.
Fisher is better than that. Maybe there were some nerves or other issues, but whatever the reason, Fisher will bounce back and show much more than he showed in his debut.
Background and Amateur Career
Matthew Fisher emerged as one of the more intriguing high school pitchers in the 2025 draft class despite not coming from a traditional baseball powerhouse. Fisher attended Reitz Memorial High School in Evansville, Indiana, where he was not only a standout baseball player but also an accomplished quarterback and multi-sport athlete. Scouts consistently pointed to his athleticism as one of the biggest reasons they believed he had significant upside on the mound.
Indiana is not usually viewed as a major pipeline for elite prep pitching talent, which made Fisher’s rise especially notable. He became the first player drafted from Memorial High School since Hall of Famer Don Mattingly – who a few months after Fisher was drafted was named the Phillies bench coach – was selected in 1979. Fisher was also named Indiana’s Gatorade Player of the Year during his senior season.
One thing evaluators loved was that Fisher had not fully specialized in baseball until relatively late. Because he split time between football and baseball, scouts believed there could still be untapped velocity and refinement remaining in his arm. That helped fuel the belief that he could eventually outperform his draft position.
2025 MLB Draft and Signing
The Philadelphia Phillies selected Fisher in the seventh round of the 2025 MLB Draft with the 221st overall pick. On paper, that sounds like a fairly ordinary selection. In reality, many evaluators believed the Phillies got one of the steals of the draft.
Fisher entered the draft ranked as high as number 46 overall by MLB Pipeline and was viewed by some scouts as a potential late first-round or second-round talent. He slid primarily because teams worried he might honor his commitment to Indiana University if the signing bonus was not large enough.
The Phillies aggressively pursued him anyway. They ultimately signed him for $1.25 million, which was dramatically above the slot value for the 221st pick and reportedly set a record bonus for a seventh-round selection.
That aggressive signing bonus said a lot about how highly the Phillies’ scouting department viewed him. The organization clearly believed they were getting a much better talent level than teams normally find in the seventh round.
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Pitching Arsenal
Fisher’s appeal starts with a very projectable mix of athleticism, arm speed, and pitch characteristics that modern teams value heavily.
His fastball generally sits between 92 and 95 mph and has touched 96. Earlier in his amateur career, he was more in the 88-92 range before taking a noticeable velocity jump during his senior season. Scouts particularly like the shape of the pitch because it carries well through the strike zone and features natural cutting action. Several reports noted extremely strong spin rates, around 2,500 RPM, which helps the pitch play harder than the radar gun might suggest.
The fastball is currently his most-used offering and projects as a legitimate above-average major league pitch if his command continues to improve. Right now, the biggest issue is consistency. There are outings where he dominates hitters up in the zone and others – like in his FCL debut – where the pitch leaks over the plate or loses some velocity.
His best secondary pitch may eventually be his curveball. Fisher throws it in the upper-70s to low-80s with heavy spin and sharp two-plane movement. Scouts have consistently praised the pitch because it already flashes swing-and-miss qualities against advanced hitters. The spin rates on the curveball have reportedly approached 2,900 RPM, which is exceptional for a prep pitcher.
He also throws a slider in the low-80s. The slider is considered a promising pitch but less polished than the curveball at the moment. Some evaluators think it could eventually blend into more of a cutter because of his natural arm action and the way the ball comes off his hand.
Fisher additionally mixes in a changeup in the mid-80s. It is presently his least-developed pitch, though scouts have said he shows feel for it and could improve rapidly once he focuses entirely on pitching professionally.
Overall, the arsenal gives him the look of a possible mid-rotation starter if everything clicks. At worst, many evaluators believe his fastball and breaking ball combination could still allow him to become a useful bullpen arm.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The biggest strengths in Fisher’s profile are his athleticism, pitch shapes, and raw upside. Scouts consistently mention how easy his arm action looks and how well he repeats his delivery for a young power pitcher. His football background also contributed to his strong lower-half mechanics and overall competitiveness.
Sabermetrically, the biggest attraction is the spin profile on both the fastball and curveball. Modern organizations place enormous value on pitches that generate vertical break and miss bats at the top of the zone. Fisher already shows those traits naturally. His induced vertical break on the fastball reportedly averaged around 17 inches, which is considered very strong for a teenager.
The biggest concern is command. Fisher is still relatively raw as a pitcher because he divided time between sports for much of high school. His mechanics are athletic, but he does not always consistently locate within the strike zone. Like many prep arms, there is also general risk associated with projecting long-term durability and development.
Another point scouts debate is projection. Because Fisher was already fairly physically mature at draft time and had turned 19 before the draft, some evaluators wondered how much more velocity or physical growth remained. Others believe his late specialization means there is still plenty left to unlock.
Injury History
One encouraging aspect of Fisher’s profile is that there have been no major publicly reported arm injuries or surgeries to this point. That is significant for a young pitching prospect. Unlike many hard-throwing prep arms, he entered pro ball without a Tommy John surgery history or major shoulder concerns.
The Phillies will almost certainly monitor his workload carefully early in his career because of the natural injury risk associated with young pitchers. For now, though, durability is viewed as more of an unknown developmental question than an active concern.
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