The San Diego Padres announced that they will send seven players to play in the Arizona Fall League. The games start in early October and run through mid-November. The players who will represent San Diego are: pitchers Tayron Guerrero, Brandon Alger, and Justin Hancock. Infielders Jace Peterson and Trea Turner will head to Arizona, in addition to outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Mallex Smith. The prospects will play for the Surprise Saguaros, who will be managed by former big-leaguer Delino DeShields.
Renfroe, San Diego's first-round pick in 2013, and Jace Peterson, a supplemental first-rounder in 2011 figure to see a lot of playing time. The team has also stated that Peterson may see some time in the outfield, in an effort to give the Padres some more flexibility. Peterson is also the only representative with Major League experience, as he earned a .113 batting average in 27 games for the Padres. Renfroe had a monster first half for Single-A Lake Elsinore, in which he 16 homers. He has struggled a bit in Double-A San Antonio, as evidence by his .356 slugging percentage. Mallex Smith leads Minor League Baseball in steals, with 88.
Trea Turner, the Padres first-round pick in 2014, will only play on Wednesday's. He has been highly impressive with the Single-A Fort Wayne Tincaps, as evidence by his .385 batting average.
Alger is an intriguing left-handed reliever who can touch the mid 90's with his fastball. He has spent the year with the Single-A Lake Elsinore Storm. He has 12 saves and a 2.87 ERA on the season. Tayron Guerrero is a power reliever who represented the Padres in the MLB Future's Game. He has the ability to touch 100 MPH, and the Padres must decide if they want to protect him on the 40-man roster. Hancock has struggled with injuries this year, so he will get some much needed work in the Arizona Fall League.
The league will feature 20 Top-100 prospects, including consensus number one prospect, outfielder Byron Buxton.