Texas Rangers Send Largest Contingent Of Prospects To Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game

The Texas Rangers have five players selected to the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game on Saturday, including hard-throwing relief pitcher Marc Church.

Feb 20, 2024; Surprise, AZ, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher Marc Church (68) poses for a photo during Media Day at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers have an MLB-high five players selected to the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game this Saturday at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz.

Infield prospects Max Acosta and Cody Freeman, outfielder Alejandro Osuna, and right-handed pitcher Marc Church will participate in the game, which features some of the top prospects from around the minor leagues playing in he AFL. Right-handed pitcher Josh Stephan was also selected to the American League roster but is not playing in the game.

The next highest contingent of prospects from one club is three by seven clubs.

Church, 23, has one save with a 4.76 ERA in 5 2/3 innings over six relief appearances. He has nine strikeouts and a walk. He has retired all 10 batters faced with six strikeouts, no walks in 3 1/3 innings. Church missed most of the season with an injury but returned in August and made his Major League debut in the season's final weekend.

Stephan is 1-2 with a 2.25 ERA (in 20 innings over six appearances, including three starts in the AFL. The 23-year-old leads AFL pitchers in innings and is second in ERA and strikeouts. MBL Pipeline rates him as the Rangers' 25th-best prospect.

Acosta is batting .305 with a home run, triple, six doubles, and 12 RBI in 16 AFL games. Acosta, 22, stolen seven bases in eight attempts. He has started 12 games at shortstop and three games at second.

Freeman, 23, is batting .308 with two homers, seven doubles, and eight RBI in 18 AFL games, Freeman's current 10-game hit streak is tied for the second-longest active run in the AFL. The Rangers’ 2024 Minor League Defender of the Year has made nine starts each at second and third base.

Osuna is batting .333 with two homers, eight doubles, 16 RBI, and 22 runs in 21 AFL games. He leads the AFL in walks (20), runs (tied with 22), is second in hits (27) and doubles (tied with eight). Osuna, 22, was the Rangers 2024 Tom Grieve Minor League Player of the Year and was named a Texas League postseason All-Star this summer.

The Surprise staff will also have two staff members serve on the A.L. Fall Stars staff in pitching coach Jon Goebel and trainer Alex Silcott.

You can follow Stefan Stevenson on X @StefanVersusTex.

Catch up with Inside the Rangers on Facebook and X.