Some of the best young talent in the game of baseball will descend upon Arizona, starting Tuesday October 13th for the start of the Arizona Fall League.

Six teams make up the Arizona Fall League: the Peoria Javelinas, Scottsdale Scorpions, Mesa Solar Sox, Salt River Rafters, Surprise Saguaros and the Glendale Desert Dogs. Each of the AFL teams have players from the rosters of six major league teams.

The games scheduled during the month-long season are played in Spring Training stadiums used by the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies, according to MLB.com. 

The makeup of the AFL is astounding with the amount of talent that has played there over the years. According to Major League Baseball’s numbers, the 2014 MLB All-Star Game in Minneapolis featured 36 AFL alums. Nearly 60 percent of all AFL players make a major league roster with 212 All-Stars, 12 MVP’s and 25 Rookies of the Year having been part of this showcase, just to name a few of the accolades.  

All this week, we will break down each team in the AFL and the Baseball Factory alums who make up the rosters. In total, 39 former Baseball Factory players will play in the 2015 Arizona Fall League, which gives Major League teams’ top prospects the opportunity to continue playing baseball and the chance to possibly move up a minor league classification heading into the 2016 season.

We begin our preview with the Peoria Javelins. Peoria is comprised of players from the following teams: Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners.

Peoria finished first in the AFL West standings in 2014 (15-14) before falling to the eventual champions, the Salt River Rafters (17-11) in the championship matchup.

Baseball Factory Alumni

Donnie Hart

Donnie Hart – Parent Club: Baltimore Orioles

Hart attended a February 2007 Under Armour Baseball Factory College PREP event in Houston, Texas and played at Texas State, collegiately for baseball.

After being selected in the 27th round of the 2013 MLB Draft, Hart has advanced up the O’s organizational ladder, moving through three minor league classifications in 2015, starting the season with the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds, where he pitched very well out of the backend of the bullpen, saving 10 games in 17.0 innings pitched with 17 strikeouts. The left-hander then advanced to the Frederick Keys, (High-A) where he posted a 5-1 record with a 1.03 ERA, three saves and 29 strikeouts in 35.0 innings. Hart then joined Double-A Bowie Baysox in September and made three appearances, allowing an earned run in 2 1/3 innings.

Lucas Sims

Lucas Sims – Parent Club: Atlanta Braves

Selected by the Atlanta Braves in the first round (21st overall) of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of Brookwood High School in Snellville, Ga, Sims made three stops this season at different levels in the Braves organization.

After a 2013 season in which Sims won 12 games as a 19-year old for Single-A Rome, he made 28 starts in 2014 with High-A Lynchburg, finishing with an ERA of 4.20. This season, after making two starts for the GCL Braves, the organization sent Sims to High-A Carolina where he made nine starts for the Mudcats, pitching to a 5.18 ERA, striking out 37 batters in 40.0 innings. Further challenging the young right hander, the Braves once more moved Sims, this time to Double-A Mississippi and Sims was impressive making nine starts, going 4-2 with a 3.21 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings.

Sims was a 2009 Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout attendee in Kennesaw, Georgia and then participated in the 2009 Team One South event.

Andrew Thurman – Parent Club: Atlanta Braves

Thurman was originally a draft selection by the Houston Astros (2013, 2nd round) but was dealt to the Atlanta Braves this past off-season in the Evan Gattis trade.

Thurman was assigned to the GCL Braves to start 2015 before moving quickly to Carolina and finishing the season with the Mississippi Braves, going a combined 7-8 with a 4.12 ERA in 19 appearances (18 starts). He struck out 66 batters in 89.2 innings pitched this season.

Before he played collegiately at UC-Irvine, Thurman started his Baseball Factory journey in 2007, attending tryouts in San Diego (January) and Azusa, California (July) and then playing in the Ryan Lemmon Sophomore Showcase in June of 2008.

Nick Travieso at the 2011 Under Armour All-America Game.

Nicholas Travieso – Parent Club: Cincinnati Reds

Travieso was selected in the 1st round (14th overall) of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Reds out of Archbishop McCarthy High in Southwest Ranches, Florida and quickly became a top pitching prospect in the Reds organization.

The right-hander put together a stellar 2014 season with Single-A Dayton, going 14-5 with a 3.04 ERA in 26 starts with 114 strikeouts in 142 1/3 innings pitched and was a Midwest League All-Star selection. This season with High-A Daytona, Travieso was named a Florida State League All-Star and was a Pitcher of the Week in mid-August, going 6-6 with a 2.70 ERA in 93 1/3 innings pitched. He held opponents to just a .231 average and struck out 76 batters.

Travieso attended an Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout in Miami Gardens, Florida in November 2010 and was selected to participate in the 2011 Under Armour All-America Game where he pitched an inning, showing off a 94 mph fastball that day.

Chance Sisco

Chance Sisco – Parent Club: Baltimore Orioles

Expectations are very high for Sisco, Baltimore’s 2nd round selection in ’13 from Santiago High School in Corona, California.

After a 2014 season that saw Sisco, the team’s top-rated organizational catcher, hit .340 in 114 games for Delmarva, the O’s moved the 6’2″, 195 pound catcher to Frederick to begin this season where he promptly hit .308 with 12 doubles, three triples, four homers and 26 RBI in 75 games. He played 20 games for Double-A Bowie to end the season, and overall, batted .297 with 39 runs scored and an OPS of .791.

Chance attended an Under Armour Baseball Factory College PREP event in Azusa, CA in September of 2010.