Phillips among 7 Brewers headed to AFL

By Adam McCalvy

September 1, 2015

MILWAUKEE -- Three of the four prospects acquired in a trade with the Astros in July will represent the Brewers in the prestigious Arizona Fall League, including Brett Phillips, a center fielder ranked No. 2 on MLBPipeline.com's list of Milwaukee's top prospects.

Joining Phillips on the Surprise Saguaros roster are the two pitchers acquired in the July 30 that sent Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers to Houston -- left-hander Josh Hader and right-hander Adrian Houser. Right-handers Jacob Barnes and Damien Magnifico, infielder Yadiel Rivera and outfielder Michael Reed round out the Brewers' picks.

Phillips is on the disabled list at Double-A Biloxi with a bruised left thumb. He is one of nine members of MLBPipeline.com's top 100 Prospects list on an AFL roster, coming in at No. 35 overall.

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The six-team AFL begins play on Oct. 13 and runs through the championship game on Nov. 21. Brewers farmhands will play alongside players from the Cardinals, Rangers, Royals and Yankees for the Saguaros, who will play home games at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Ariz., due to construction in Surprise.

Of the Brewers' seven selections for the AFL, five rank among Milwaukee's top 30 prospects. Phillips is No. 2, followed by Hader at 15, Reed at 18, Rivera at 19 and Houser at 28.

Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamMcCalvy, like him on Facebook and listen to his podcast.