Highly-Touted Texas Rangers Prospect Heads to Arizona Fall League With Momentum

When the Texas Rangers start their play in the Arizona Fall League all eyes will be on this top hitting prospect.

Apr 16, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Texas Rangers cap sits in dugout in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Sometimes, the smaller transactions pay off handsomely. Witness Alejandro Osuna.

The Texas Rangers signed him for $125,000 out of Mexico in 2020. He was on the radar of a few teams, most notably because he is the younger brother of former All-Star closer Roberto Osuna and the nephew of ex-big leaguer Antonio Osuna.

Now, he’s on a track of his own as he heads to the Arizona Fall League, which starts on Monday.

Osuna, the Ranger’s No. 16 prospect per MLB Pipeline, will play for the Surprise Saguaros, which means he’ll set up shop at the Rangers’ spring training facility in Surprise. He will play alongside prospects from the Royals, Houston Astros, Cleveland Guardians, and Baltimore Orioles.

After three solid seasons in the Rangers’ system, he had a breakthrough season in 2024 with High-A Hickory and Double-A Frisco, which earned him the organization’s minor-league player of the year award.

He finished with a combined slash line of .292/.362/.507/.869, a career-high 18 home runs, and 61 RBI. MLB.com compared his profile as a player to New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo. He also had 17 steals.

Among Texas minor-leaguers with at least 300 at-bats, he led in slugging percentage and OPS. He also showed improvement at the plate after his promotion to Frisco on June 28, as he slashed .306/.379/.523/.902 with nine homers and 32 RBI.

Osuna, an outfielder, is probably at least a year away from helping the Rangers. But a quality month in the AFL would put him in a position to earn a promotion to Triple-A Round Rock in 2025.

He isn’t the only Rangers prospect heading to Arizona. He’s one of three top 30 Rangers prospects heading that way.

Right-handed pitcher Josh Stephan (No. 25) and right-handed pitcher Skylar Hales (No. 29) will join Osuna. Others include infielder Max Acosta, third baseman Cody Freeman, left-handed pitcher Avery Weems, and right-handed pitchers Marc Church and Leandro Lopez.

AFL action starts on Oct. 7, and since it was founded in 1992, more than 3,000 players have participated and moved on to the Majors at some point.

The Fall Stars game is set for Nov. 9 at Sloan Park, with the annual home run derby set for Nov. 8.

When the season concludes on Nov. 14, there will be a play-in semifinal game between the second- and third-place finishers in the standings on Nov. 15 at Scottsdale Stadium. The championship game is held the next day at Salt River Fields.