It’s safe to say that the Arizona Fall League season for Texas Rangers hitting prospect Alejandro Osuna went well.
He was among the award winners when the AFL concluded regular-season play earlier this week.
Osuna was named the winner of the Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award, which is given to a player who best exemplifies unselfishness, hard work and leadership. It is named for a former baseball player who was killed in 2003 in Arizona during the AFL season.
Osuna was already on everyone’s radar when he arrived in Arizona, thanks to a terrific season that led to his selection as the Rangers minor league player of the year.
He only built on that in the AFL, where he was among the best hitters in the league.
He finished with a slash line of .306/.438/.449, leading the AFL in walks (22) and tied for second in hits (30), runs (25) and doubles (8). Like the rest of the Rangers prospects, he played for Surprise.
Osuna entered the AFL season as the Rangers’ No. 16 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline. That could change the closer Texas gets to the 2025 season.
After three solid seasons in the Rangers’ system the outfielder had a breakthrough season in 2024 with High-A Hickory and Double-A Frisco.
Combined he finished with a slash line of .292/.362/.507/.869 with a career-high 18 home runs and 61 RBI. MLB.com compared his profile as a player to that of New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo. He also had 17 steals.
Among Texas minor-league players with at least 300 at-bats, he led in slugging percentage and OPS. He also showed improvement at the plate after his promotion to Frisco on June 28, as he slashed .306/.379/.523/.902 with nine home runs and 32 RBI.
Osuna is probably at least a year away from helping the Rangers. But his quality numbers in the AFL almost assure he’ll get a non-roster invitation to Major League spring training and likely earned him a roster spot at Triple-A Round Rock in 2025.
The Rangers signed him for $125,000 out of Mexico in 2020. He was on the radar of other organizations, notably because he was younger brother of former All-Star closer Roberto Osuna and the nephew of ex-big leaguer Antonio Osuna.
Arizona remains one of the fastest-growing states in the country, but new migration data suggests that growth is starting to level out.
According to the latest numbers from U-Haul, Arizona ranked number seven nationwide for growth in 2025. While that is down one spot from the year before, it marks the sixth consecutive year the state has remained in the top ten.
The rankings are based on more than 2.5 million one-way moving transactions for the Arizona-based company.
What stands out in the data is how close those numbers are.
In 2025, 50.3% of U-Haul’s one-way moves came into Arizona, while 49.7% moved out. In practical terms, that means for nearly every family moving into the state, there is another one packing up and leaving.
That does not mean Arizona is losing population. However, it does suggest the margin of growth is getting thinner than it has been in recent years.
Even with that shift, the greater Phoenix metro area continues to be a major driver of growth. Phoenix ranked fifth nationwide among U.S. metro areas, fueled by job creation and new housing across the Valley.
U-Haul leaders point to continued development tied to major employers, including chip manufacturing and data centers, as well as ongoing residential construction, as reasons Phoenix remains a top destination.
Experts who study migration trends say when in-migration and out-migration numbers get this close, it can be a sign that affordability pressures are starting to play a role, especially when it comes to housing.
The latest data does not point to a mass exodus, but it does show Arizona entering a period of transition, balancing opportunity and growth with affordability concerns.
The 2026 Arizona Legacy Races in Buckeye, Ariz., are ringing in a new year for futurity horses December 30 – January 6, at the Buckeye Equestrian & Events Center. Formerly known as the MVP Futurity and Greg Olson Futurity, these two races have been a staple in many professional trainers’ schedules for decades. This year, the two events boast $22,000 in added money.
Linzie Lindsey and Fame Dancin Yola claimed the Round 1 win with a 17.577 for $1,959. Barbara Merrill rode TKW Eye Am Tess to the 2D win.
After finishing out of the 1D money in Round 1, Loralee Ward and Dark Honey ran the fastest time of the futurity with a 17.030 to claim the Round 2 win. The duo also earned the Futurity Reserve Championship for $1,652.
Lindsey and Fame Dancin Yola finished second in Round 2 with a 17.164, adding $1,603 to their futurity earnings and claiming the Futurity Championship for another $2,019.
Jenna Duhon and PMC AintSheBeautiful earned the Round 2 2D win. In the 2D Average, it was Estella Martin and Quanahs Kingdom claiming the win.
Round 1 of a very tough Derby went to Jana Bean and Feature This Goodbye with a 17.268. 2025 futurity standout Blissful Version and Lora Nichols finished second in Round 1 with a 17.282, won Round 2 with a 17.032, and claimed the Average win.
“Buddy” and Nichols were in contention for the highest money-earning futurity horse of the previous season, before the cancellation of the last two major events of the season due to EHV-1. By $7 million sire Winners Version, Buddy banked over $300,000 in his futurity year.
Megan McLeod-Sprague and Seis Corona (“Jagger”) were hot off the 2025 National Finals Rodeo. The duo won the Roohide Hot Rod with a 17.004 for $1,368. They also earned the Friday Open 1D win for $1,083.
With the first 16-second run of the weekend, Sherry Cervi and MP Meter My Fame won the Saturday Open 1D with a 16.969.
Rita Cheeney and HP Dash Ta Fairfax ran the only other sub-17-second run of the weekend, with a 16.996 that took the top spot in Sunday’s Open 1D.
Nichols and Buddy doubled down on their derby earnings, placing deep in the Open 1D both days, as well as the Roohide Hot Rod, and Big Time Boss.
Youth competitor Tabitha Dyal also had an outstanding weekend, earning Open 1D money Friday, Saturday, and Sunday aboard Slym Shady. She swept the Youth 1D on Slym Shady and earned Open 1D, Open 2D, and Youth 1D checks on Promise Me Fame Guys and Smooth Operraider. Dyal wrapped up her weekend with several checks in the Big Time Boss.
Authorities say a prominent California agriculture heir is accused of traveling to Arizona to kill his estranged wife amid a bitter divorce, a case now drawing national attention for its cross-state trail and high-profile ties.
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