Texas Rangers Send Three Highly-Ranked Prospects to Arizona Fall League

The Texas Rangers are sending eight prospects, including three of their top 30, to the annual showcase of young talent in Arizona.

Jul 26, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A hat and glove of a Texas Rangers player during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Three of the Texas Rangers’ top 30 prospects are heading to play for the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League, Major League Baseball announced on Wednesday.

Outfielder Alejandro Osuna (No. 16), and right-handed pitchers Josh Stephan (No. 25) and Skylar Hales (No. 29) lead a list of eight Rangers prospects invited to pariticpate.

The others include infielder Max Acosta, third baseman Cody Freeman, left-handed pitcher Avery Weems, and right-handed pitchers Marc Church and Leandro Lopez.

Osuna put together his best professional season and moved up to Double-A Frisco. Combined he finished with a slash line of .292/.362/.507/.869 with a career-high 18 home runs and 61 RBI. MLB.com compared his profile as a player to that of New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo. He also had 17 steals.

Stephan, an undrafted free agent who has been in the system since 2021, missed a portion of the year with elbow inflammation. In 12 games (11 starts), he went 2-5 with a 4.94 ERA, including 55 strikeouts and 17 walks in 58.1 innings. He had a winning record in each of his two previous seasons with full-season affiliates.

Hales is a new name to the Top 30, as he joined the Rangers as their fourth-round pick in 2023. The Santa Clara product reached Frisco and turned into one of the system’s best relievers. He pitched in 44 games, going 4-0 with a 3.18 ERA, including 66 strikeouts and 17 walks in 56.2 innings. He also 10 saves in 11 chances, along with eight holds.

Texas will play with the Surprise Saguaros in Surprise, Ariz., the spring training home they share with the Kansas City Royals. The Rangers prospects will play alongside prospects from the Royals, Houston Astros, Cleveland Guardians and Baltimore Orioles.

The other five teams in the AFL play in Glendale, Mesa, Peoria, Salt River and Scottsdale.

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.

During the season, there are several special events, including a tripleheader at Goodyear Ballpark on Oct. 19, a game at Grand Canyon University on Oct. 25 and a doubleheader at American Family Fields of Phoenix on Oct. 26.

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.