Elite second-base prospect Ozzie Albies heads up a strong group of eight Braves prospects set to play in the Arizona Fall league, which begins its 5 ½-week schedule on Oct. 11.
Albies will be the highest-rated prospect the Braves have sent to the AFL in several years, and be joined on the Salt River Rafters team by seven others from the organization including current Double-A Mississippi teammate Dustin Peterson, a 21-year-old outfielder who hit .281 with 49 extra-base hits (11 homers) and 84 RBIs before Wednesday.
Other Braves prospects headed to the AFL include infielder Travis Demeritte, catcher Kade Scivicque and pitchers Chris Ellis, Akeel Morris, Evan Phillips and Brad Roney.
Twenty-one of MLB.com’s current top 100 prospects are scheduled to play in the AFL, with No. 13 Albies the third-highest-rated of that group behind No. 1 Yoan Moncada (Red Sox) and No. 9 Austin Meadows (Pirates), who are both on the Surprise Saguaros roster.
Albies, who won’t turn 20 until January, hit .292 with 45 extra-base hits (10 triples, five homers), a .358 OBP and 29 stolen bases in a combined 133 games this season before Wednesday, including a .248 average and .659 OPS in 56 games at Triple-A Gwinnett. In two stints at Mississippi he had a .324 average and .851 OPS in 77 games.
