Nacho Alvarez Headlines Braves Arizona Fall League Selections

The Atlanta Braves want to get their infielder some more action following the regular season

Atlanta Braves third baseman Nacho Alvarez Jr. will get more work in following the season | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves are set to send eight players to the Arizona Fall League in October. The top name heading out west is infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr. 

He’s getting Major League action this season, but the goal, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, is to make up for the reps he lost earlier this season while recovering from a wrist injury. 

Heading into Wednesday night’s series finale against the Cubs, Alvarez is batting .245 with a .642 OPS, no home runs and nine RBIs. 

Along with Alvarez, infielder Jim Jarvis, right-handers Drue Hackenberg, Luke Sinnard LJ McDonough and Cory Wall, left-hander Jacob Kroeger and outfielder Patrick Clohisy will be playing for the Glendale Desert Dogs. 

Since Alvarez has already graduated from the prospect tag, Hackenberg and Sinnard are the only top-30 prospects selected. 

Things looked promising for Hackenberg heading into this season, but it’s been a struggle from start to finish. He has a 7.01 ERA in 17 starts for Double-A Columbus. The previous season saw him rise quickly through the minors, reaching Triple-A Gwinnett after starting in High-A Rome. 

He also missed a couple of months midseason due to injury. He was on the minor-league 7-day injured list, so no details are included. 

Jarvis was acquired ahead of the trade deadline from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for relief pitcher Rafael Montero. He’s had a respectable run in the Braves system so far. In 21 games with Double-A Columbus, he batted .265 with a .705 OPS

All players, other than Kroeger and Sinnard, are set to finish the season at the Double-A level or higher. Alvarez is the only one who is higher than Double-A. 

The Arizona Fall League is a developmental league that immediately follows the MLB regular season. Each team sends players who will make up six teams that play at the Spring Training parks in Arizona. 

The season is set to begin on Oct. 6 and will conclude on Nov. 15, the day the league’s championship game is held. 

Notable prospects head to the league frequently. Last season, Drake Baldwin headlined the Braves' selections for the AFL. He played in 13 games for the Peoria Javelinas, batting .377 with a .942 OPS, one home run and nine RBIs.