Crew's first-rounder pens three-page letter to young fan

MILWAUKEE -- Brewers first-round Draft pick Andrew Fischer was set to make his professional debut with High-A Wisconsin on Thursday night, but he already hit a home run before stepping into the batter’s box.

Knoxville, Tenn., television station WATE reported the story of 10-year-old Tucker Rose, a baseball fan from North Carolina who has a habit of writing a letter to every first-round Draft pick. Numerous players have written back, but none with the care that Fischer (the Brewers’ No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline) put into his three-page, handwritten, highlighted response.

Among the highlighted words of advice:

“Be a great teammate in life and on the field.”

“Be the same guy every day.”

“Be honest.”

“Be respectful to everyone, no one is bigger than the program.”

And, underlined at the end: “Kill it in the classroom!”

“It was cool how much he wrote,” Tucker told the TV station. “It was also really cool that he highlighted stuff and took the time to do that. I really liked that he didn’t talk about how good of a player he is. He talked about his life and how he is.”

For the record, Fischer was a very good player at the University of Tennessee, hitting .341/.497/.760 with an SEC-best 25 home runs, reaching base in all 65 games he played.

But his letter instead focused on people, including his mentor, fellow New Jerseyan and former Major Leaguer Todd Frazier. It was Frazier who taught Fischer the importance of being a good teammate.

“I hope some of these words help you through your journey,” Fischer wrote. “Keep striving for big things. No dream is too big!”

The Timber Rattlers, who already got a double-shot of prospects last week with the promotions of infielders Jesús Made (Brewers No. 1, overall No. 5) and Luis Peña (Brewers No. 2, overall No. 16), were scheduled to host Great Lakes at 6:40 p.m. on Thursday for Fischer’s pro debut.