Texas Rangers Risk Losing Intriguing Prospect in Rule 5 Draft

Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa had a great Arizona Fall League and could interest other teams other teams next week at the Winter Meetings in Nashville.

Ever heard of Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa? The Texas Rangers are hoping that you and every other MLB team hasn’t entering next week’s Winter Meetings.

On Wednesday, MLB teams will participate in the Rule 5 Draft, which is when top prospects can be selected by other teams if they meet certain criteria.

The Rangers are at risk of losing Hoopii-Tuionetoa, who was taken in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Pierce CC in Pierce, Wash. Because he’s been in minor league baseball for five years, the Rangers had to either move him to their 40-man roster at the tender deadline or risk exposing him to the Rule 5 Draft.

The Rangers opted to expose him. And MLB.com believes that Hoopii-Tuionetoa is the Rangers’ most intriguing Rule 5 Draft prospect:

Hoopii-Tuionetoa impressed in the Arizona Fall League, not allowing a run in nine regular-season appearances while working with a 94-99 mph fastball and a hard slider. A 30th-round pick out of Pierce (Wash.) CC in 2019, he missed the first half of this season with non-structural shoulder issues before recording a 2.96 ERA, .204 opponent average and 25/7 K/BB ratio in 24 1/3 innings between Rookie ball and two Class A stops.

He's 23 years old and he didn’t start pitching in the minors until 2021 due to injuries and the 2020 COVID shutdown, but the clock started after he was drafted.

For his minor-league career he is 8-7 with a 3.57 ERA.

Because of the draft rules, it’s possible that Hoopii-Tuionetoa isn’t selected at all. If he’s picked, that team must put him on their 26-man roster immediately. For a team to do that, they have to believe that Hoopii-Tuionetoa can help them at the Major League level in 2024. That team would also owe the Rangers $100,000.

If Hoopii-Tuionetoa were released by that team in 2024, he would have to go through outright waivers and be offered back to the Rangers for $50,000.

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