Rangers AFL Contingent

The Rangers have announced the players who the team is sending to the Arizona Fall League.  They are pitchers Eric Hurley, Tim Murphy, Danny Gutierrez, and Adalberto Flores, catcher Jose Felix, infielder Davis Stoneburner, and outfielders Engel Beltre and Joey Butler.

This is an interesting mix of guys.  AFL pitchers are usually guys who missed significant time in the summer and need to make up innings, and Hurley and Gutierrez definitely apply on that front.  In addition, the Rangers probably want to get a good look at where Hurley is and how he's progressing in his comeback, as there are going to be some tough decisions regarding the 40 man roster this offseason, and the Rangers may not be confident that Hurley should have a spot.

I know nothing about Flores.  Murphy is a lefty who had some buzz around him when he was first drafted, but who has struggled of late.

The positional players, outside of Beltre, seem to be fringe or organizational depth guys.  Beltre going to the AFL isn't surprising, as he's probably the Rangers' top positional prospect right now, but a guy who needs to improve his pitch recognition and plate discipline...getting him in a place with other highly regarded prospects where he's in game situations regularly should help with that.