4 players the Mariners should target in the Rule 5 Draft
With the Rule 5 draft concluding the MLB Winter Meetings, we look at 4 of the top targets that should be on the Mariners radar.
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The conclusion of the Winter Meetings always ends with the Rule 5 draft. It is always an interesting time as there are so many big names and big contracts being thrown around, and then it concludes with guys that are borderline 26-man roster players.
The Mariners have taken at least 1 player in every Rule 5 draft since 2017, and it's something I don't expect them to break this time. There are some pretty interesting names available this year and I wouldn't be surprised if the Mariners tried to snag a pitcher to add to their bullpen. Let's take a look at 4 names I think could be of interest when it comes time for the Mariners to take a selection.
Mariners Rule 5 Target #1: Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa
The first arm we are going to look at, and in my opinion, by far the most interesting arm is Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa. The 23-year-old pitcher is from Hawaii, but actually spent time in college in the state of Washington at Pierce Community College in Lakewood, Washington. In 2023, he only made it to High-A ball for the Texas Rangers, but the numbers he has put up, are very impressive.
In 2023, between, rookie ball, A-ball, High-A ball, and the Arizona Fall League, he combined to throw 24 1/3 innings with a 2.96 ERA. He had a 9.2 K/9 and a 2.6 BB/9, something that Mariners will value quite a bit. He was just as good, if not better, in 2022 in A ball. He threw 43 2/3 innings with a 3.09 ERA and an impressive 13.8 K/9 and a solid 4.1 BB/9.
#Rangers relief prospect Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa pounded the zone with his 96-97 MPH heater and 86 MPH slider. 10 of 15 pitches went for strikes. pic.twitter.com/F8kF3W7cyL
— Matt T (@mdthompFWFB) November 7, 2023
Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa has a fastball that sits in the mid to upper 90s and a slider in the mid to upper 80s. I think this is a guy who could come in and fill the shoes of the recently traded Isaiah Campbell. He's got some interesting stuff and has shown an ability to control the zone, this seems like a guy the Mariners could turn into a really solid reliever. Above is 5 minutes of him dominating the zone with 10 of 15 pitches for strikes.
Mariners Rule 5 Target #2: Ian Seymour
We turn to yet another pitcher, this time, one that has been primarily a starter over his major league career. Ian Seymour is a 24, almost 25-year-old lefty who went to college at Virginia Tech. In 2021, he actually made 2 starts in Triple-A Durham for Tampa Bay. He started the 2022 season out in AA but underwent Tommy-John and was sidelined until mid-2023. He showed that he was healthy and ready to go in 2023, making his way back up to AA, throwing 42 innings on the year with a 1.5 ERA. He had solid rates for a starter with 9.9 K/9 and a 3.4 BB/9.
Rays Ian Seymour was locked in today, striking out 5 over 2 innings of relief before a rain delay hit.
— Trevor Hooth (@HoothTrevor) July 18, 2021
FB was 90-92, he reached back for 94 in strikeout situations.
CH was the best pitch and it was absolutely LETHAL. Like so good.
He flashed a SL too with plenty of movement pic.twitter.com/ve2SsyNsoO
Seymour has kind of a weird fit with the Mariners as the pitching depth at the major league level seems great, but what happens if you trade a pitcher, or you need a spot start somewhere along the season, because you know injuries will happen. The Mariners don't have a lot of depth in the high minors to dip into if needed. Adding Seymour to be a sort of long reliever, spot start type of guy would be a wise move for the Mariners and something that they haven't had in a few years.
Mariners Rule 5 Target #3: Kam Misner
Perhaps the highest upside of anyone of the names listed here is Kam Misner. Misner is a big dude at 6'4 and 220 lbs. but is a very good athlete and a heck of a runner, 21 stolen bases in 2023. Misner has the upside to be a solid major league outfielder and the floor of a rotational or platoon outfielder. In 2023, he slashed .226/.363/.458 in AAA Durham, with 21 home runs. He has serious power and speed abilities, and he spent a majority of 2023 in centerfield for Durham, giving him some value defensively.
1,173 feet of taters for Kameron Misner.
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 10, 2023
The No. 22 @RaysBaseball prospect slugs THREE homers for the @DurhamBulls: pic.twitter.com/NtG9YPyGga
The part that is holding Misner from breaking the big leagues is his strikeouts. In 2023, he ran a strikeout rate of 35.8%, which is incredibly high, that's higher than Geno, Teo, or Mike Ford. But where he strikes out a lot, he makes up for in walks, he ran an elite walk rate of 17.5% in 2023. I think Misner has a way of taking a roster spot away from someone like Cade Marlowe, Sam Haggerty, or maybe even Dylan Moore if he is traded. I could see him filling out a similar profile as someone like Seth Brown, but with more athleticism in the outfield and on the bases.
Mariners Rule 5 Target #4: Devin Mann
With the addition of Luis Urias, and a plethora of utility infielders', this might seem a little redundant, but I am sort of in the boat that the Mariners should trade Dylan Moore this offseason. They have taken the theme of cutting out the strikeouts and ran with it and Dylan Moore had a 33% K rate in 2023. Why not add someone who is going to give you more contact ability, a lower K rate, and a similar walk rate, if not better? Plus, Mann spent time at all 4 infield spots as well as left field in 2023, so you don't lose as much positional versatility.
Devin Mann started this week playing SS and looked good doing it too! He also had 2 hits & is hitting .315, OPS .078, has hits in 5 games in a row & leads the PCL in doubles. What he is doing is called controlling what you can control! #dodgers pic.twitter.com/3dKYHYE116
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) July 19, 2023
He was traded from the Dodgers to the Royals mid-year, but between the 2 teams in Triple-A, he slashed .276/.387/.502 with 20 home runs, a 27% K rate, which is slightly elevated, but manageable, and an above-average walk rate at 14.36%. I think adding Mann could be a replacement for Dylan Moore, if the team were to trade Moore and try and cut out his high strikeout rate, as well as save the $6.6 million dollars Dylan Moore is due over the next 2 years.