4 players the Mariners should target in the Rule 5 Draft

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.

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.

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.

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.