It has been three weeks since the White Sox made the surprising Robbie Grossman trade. Out of nowhere, it was reported that the White Sox sent Robbie Grossman to the Texas Rangers in exchange for minor league reliever Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa.
This wasn’t a significant move for the major league club, as Grossman wasn’t playing great for the White Sox in Chicago, as he was hitting .211 with a .329 OBP. He didn’t have any homeruns, but he did have 4 RBIs. The one thing he did do well in Chicago was draw walks, as he had 13 walks in just 25 games. He wasn’t great in Chicago but he wasn’t bad either.
Now, in Texas, he hasn’t been playing very well. In 10 games(20 at-bats), he is hitting .100 with a .308 OBP. He still is drawing a good amount of walks, but his bat hasn’t been very good. He has six walks to three strikeouts, but he has no runs batted in. Considering he was a rotational player, it is impressive that Getz was able to make a solid trade. This should bode well for the White Sox at the trade deadline.
Now, we look at who the White Sox got in exchange for Grossman. That would be Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa. He is a 23 year old right handed reliever who was selected by Texas in the 30th round in 2019. While he doesn’t have top prospect pedigree, he is clearly out performing his draft position.
At the time of the trade, Hoopii-Tuionetoa had pitched 12.1 scoreless innings. He was one of one in save opportunities and had 16 strikeouts in those 12 innings. This was a fantastic start to the season for him and an intriguing pickup for the White Sox, especially considering all they traded was Robbie Grossman.
Prior to the trade in his career, Hoopii-Tuionetoa had a 3.15 ERA in 86 games. He had 151 strikeouts in 105.2 innings. These are some very solid stats and Hoopii-Tuionetoa could be a solid addition to the major league bullpen sooner rather than later.
Since the trade, Hoopii-Tuionetoa has still been very good. While he gave up his first run of the season in his first appearance, he hasn’t given up one since. While his sample size is still very small, just 2.2 innings, he has still looked very good.
He has five strikeouts in his 2.2 innings, showcasing his overpowering repertoire. He fits in nicely in a stacked bullpen in Birmingham and we could see him at some point towards the end of the year, or next year at some point.
Overall, this trade is an A. The fact that the White Sox were able to get a solid project for Robbie Grossman is quite impressive. Hoopii-Tuionetoa has slotted in as the 28th best prospect in the White Sox system so this is a great trade for the Sox. Hopefully Chris Getz can keep this momentum up at the trade deadline.
