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.

Today’s preview features the Surprise Saguaros who finished second in the AFL West last season (16-15-1). The Surprise Saguaros are comprised of players from the following major league teams: Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers.

Baseball Factory Alumni

Bryan Brickhouse

Bryan Brickhouse – Parent Club: Kansas City Royals

Brickhouse was a third round selection by the Royals in the ’11 Draft out of The Woodlands High School in Woodlands, TX. In 2010, Brickhouse was selected to participate in the Under Armour Pre-Season All-America Tournament where he showed himself as a young, athletic right-handed pitcher with excellent mound presence and the ability to throw his arsenal of pitches for strikes. Seven months later in Chicago, Brickhouse touched 94 mph on his fastball at the Under Armour All-America Game, recognized as one of the more polished righty in the country.

After graduation in 2011, Brickhouse signed with the Royals and has played in both Single-A and Rookie League as he gains more experience against professional hitters. This season in seven appearances, Brickhouse pitched to a 2.93 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings pitched and will stand to gain even more experience pitching in the AZL against top competition as he looks to advance to the next level in 2016.

Ian Clarkin – Parent Club: New York Yankees

This lefty pitcher was the 33rd overall selection by the Yankees in the 2013 Draft out of Madison High School in San Diego, CA but did not pitch in the regular season in 2015 as he rehabbed left elbow inflammation. Clarkin will receive some much-needed work by pitching in the AZL after an impressive 2014 season as a 19 year-old where he made 16 starts (17 total appearances), going 4-3 with a 3.12 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 75.0 innings pitched.

Clarkin participated in an Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout in La Mesa, CA back in February of 2011.

Adrian Houser

Adrian Houser – Parent Club: Milwaukee Brewers

Houser was a second round selection of the Houston Astros in the 2011 Draft out of Locust Grove High School in Locus Grove, OK, but was traded at this year’s deadline with pitcher Josh Hader and two other players for Mike Fiers and Carlos Gomez.

At just 22 years-old, Houser got his first taste of the majors this season, getting the call up on September 26th where he pitched two scoreless innings. In the minors, Houser started the season in the Astros system at High-A Lancaster and then at Double-A Corpus Christi before being traded and re-assigned to Milwaukee’s Double-A affiliate, the Biloxi Shuckers out of the Southern League. Overall in 26 appearances (20 starts), Houser went 7-5 with a 4.43 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 120.0 innings pitched in 2015.

Houser was a 2010 Under Armour All-American selection.

Ryne Slack – Parent Club: Texas Rangers

Slack was signed by the Texas Rangers as a non-drafted free agent on June 21, 2012 and has put together a minor league record of 24-5 with an ERA of 3.88 with 277 strikeouts in 246.0 innings pitched.

This season with High-A High Desert and with Double-A Frisco, Slack appeared in 40 games, striking out 70 batters in 70.0 innings pitched, recording an ERA of 3.73.

The Ninety Six, South Carolina native played college ball at Spartanburg Methodist in SC and participated in an Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout in Greenville, SC as a senior back in March of 2010.

Zane Evans

Zane Evans – Parent Club: Kansas City Royals

Evans was a fourth round selection in ’13 out of Georgia Tech for the Royals and this past season, played for High-A Wilmington and Double-A Northwest Arkansas, hitting a combined .258 with 22 doubles, 10 homers and 56 RBI in 93 games.

The Newnan, GA native attended Roswell High School in Roswell, GA and was a participant in the 2009 Under Armour Pre-Season All-America Tournament.

Tyler Wade – Parent Club: New York Yankees

Wade was selected by the New York Yankees in the fourth round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Murrieta Valley High School in Murrieta, California and participated in the 2013 Ryan Lemmon Invitational as a senior.

Wade was named an FSL (Florida State League) Post-Season All-Star after hitting .280 with 11 doubles, five triples, two homers and 28 RBI in 98 games for the High-A Tampa Yankees. He was then promoted to Double-A Trenton to finish out the ’15 season, playing 29 games, hitting .204 with four doubles, a homer and three RBI.

Lewis Brinson

Lewis Brinson – Parent Club: Texas Rangers

Brinson put together a huge 2015 season in the Rangers minor league system, starting out at High-A High Desert and ascending all the way to Triple-A Round Rock where he hit .433 (13-for-30) with a double, a homer and four RBI in eight games. Overall, Brinson hit .332 with 31 doubles, eight triples, 20 homers, 69 RBI and an OPS of 1.004 in 100 games which will almost undoubtedly making him one of, if not, the Rangers top prospect heading into 2016.

The Tamarac, FL native finished 2014 as the Rangers No. 10 prospect, according to MLB.com, a season in which he hit a combined .288 with 16 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs and 50 RBI.

Brinson was a 2011 Under Armour All-American, starting the game in CF and also playing LF and RF before the day was done and demonstrated a cannon for an arm and raw power from the plate. He was also a standout performer earlier that summer at both the Under Armour Memorial Day and Under Armour Southeast Tournaments.

Brett Phillips

Brett Phillips – Parent Club: Milwaukee Brewers

Phillips was originally selected by the Astros in the sixth round of the 2012 Draft out of Seminole High School in Seminole, FL, but was also part of the deal that sent Carlos Gomez to Houston. Between two levels in the Astros organization and the Brewers affiliate (Double-A Biloxi), Phillips hit .309 with 34 doubles, 14 triples, 16 home runs, 77 RBI and 104 runs scored in 120 games, becoming a prized prospect in Milwaukee’s organization.

Phillips, who ranked 21st on Baseball America’s Midseason Top 50 Prospects list, where scouts think he can become an above-average center field in the majors. He attended an Under Armour Baseball Factory College PREP event in Sanford, FL back in July of 2009 and in October of that same year, was a participant in the Arizona Freshman/Sophomore Fall Classic.

Bubba Starling

Bubba Starling – Parent Club: Kansas City Royals

It’s been a long road for Starling, being selected fifth overall in the 2011 Draft out of Gardner-Edgerton High School in Gardner, KS, but the 22 year-old center fielder has held his own, climbing his way to Double-A Northwest Arkansas to end the 2015 campaign.

He hit only .254 but showed a serious power surge, hitting 19 doubles, four triples and 10 home runs in 91 games for the Naturals.

Starling was a 2010 Under Armour All-American selection.