Don’t pay too much attention to this low placement, because this righty far outpaces his peers in almost every way
Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa
Right-Handed Relief Pitcher
6´2´´
190 pounds
Age: 24
First Appearance on the South Side Sox Top 100
2024 High Level Charlotte (Triple-A)
Age relative to high level -4.0 years
SSS rank among all right-handed relief pitchers in the system 16
Overall 2024 stats 1-3 ⚾️ 42 games (15 finishes) ⚾️ 5 SV ⚾️ 46 IP ⚾️ 4.30 ERA ⚾️ 1.174 WHIP ⚾️ 47 K ⚾️ 17 BB
Hoopii-Tuionetoa was acquired by the White Sox in an early-May trade for Robbie Grossman - a nice return for 85 PA and a -0.4 fWAR from an outfielder Chicago signed to a minor league deal only six weeks earlier.
At Double-A Frisco, Hoopii-Tuionetoa started the 2024 season throwing 12 1⁄3 innings without surrendering an earned run while striking out 16. Prior to that, he also had showed out in the Arizona Fall League in 2023, where he struck out 10 through nine appearances.
The former 30th round pick from Pierce College in 2019 was sent to Birmingham after the trade. There, Hoopii-Tuionetoa finished with a 3.24 ERA (3.59 FIP), but he was unable to keep up his strikeout rate, as it dropped from 34% to 23.2. In August, the righthander was promoted to Charlotte, where he got roughed up in a small, 8 2⁄3 -inning sample (13 earned runs on 11 hits).
Hoopii-Tuionetoa mainly features a four-pitch mix: 4-seam fastball, sinker, slider and changeup, but he’ll also occasionally drop in a curve. His high-spin sinker is his main offering, and it sits 92-95 mph with some late arm-side run. He most often pairs it with an 82-84 mph slider that, despite his Triple-A struggles, induced a 46% Whiff rate for the Knights.
Hoopii-Tuionetoa’s Baseball Cube player ratings
K/BB 79
Durability 74
Strikeouts 71
Hittable 69
vsPower 69
Walks 64
Average 71.00
These ratings — anything better than 50 indicates above-average vs. his peers — are stellar, the best of any yet produced in our Top 100 countdown.
The now 24-year-old will likely start 2025 back in Charlotte. With a wide-open bullpen in Chicago, he should have an opportunity to debut in the majors should he be able to replicate his lower-minors success at AAA. Hoopii-Tuionetoa also has 22 saves over 136 2⁄3 career innings in the minors, as he looks to become a late-inning option for the big-league club.
100. Cole McConnell, CF
99. Drake Logan, LF
98. Marcelo Alcala, RF
97. Lyle Miller-Green, 1B
96. Jared Kelley, RHRP
95. Adrian Gil, 1B
94. Adam Hackenberg, C
93. Loidel Chapelli, 2B
92. Eddie Park, CF
91. Chase Plymell, RHRP
90. Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa, RHRP
