Welcome back to Up-and-Coming Dynasty Players and welcome to The Show, Kumar Rocker.
The right-handed pitcher made his MLB debut Thursday night for the Texas Rangers, and while it is only one start, he showed why he has always been considered a top pitching prospect and why he is an up-and-coming dynasty star.
Rocker would have likely been a first-round draft choice out of high school in 2018, but he was dead set on attending Vanderbilt and instead was drafted in the 38th round by Colorado in case he changed his mind. He didn’t and it was a good move on his part as he was outstanding on the mound for the Commodores. During his time there he won the College World Series Most Outstanding Player award as a freshman in 2019. Against Duke in the Super Regionals that season he threw a no-hitter with 19 strikeouts against Duke.
In 2021, he led NCAA Division pitchers in wins with 14 and in strikeouts with 179.
Getting Sidetracked
After the 2021 college season, the Mets drafted Kumar Rocker with the 10th overall pick in July and a deal was in place that included a $6 million bonus. But before the deal was finalized, the post-draft physical showed Rocker to have shoulder and elbow issues and the Mets pulled their offer.
Rocker underwent shoulder surgery in September of that year and returned in 2022 to pitch in the Frontier League and he appeared to be fully healthy. In 20 innings of work, he allowed only 11 hits and four walks while striking out 32 for a 1.25 ERA and 0.750 WHIP with a 14.4 K/9 rate.
Eligible to be drafted again, the Rangers pounced on the chance to take Rocker, selecting him third overall. After making some appearances in the Arizona Fall League, Rocker started his 2023 campaign at Class A and was 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.000 WHIP with a 13.5 K/9 rate through his first six starts when he blew out his elbow and undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Back On Track
After missing the rest of the 2023 season recovering and rehabbing his arm, Kumar Rocker returned to the mound this year he has been nothing but fantastic.
At three different levels in the minors this season, Rocker posted a 1.96 ERA and 0.791 WHIP. In nine starts and 10 appearances overall he threw 36.2 innings and allowed only 24 hits with 5 walks and 55 strikeouts for a 13.5 K/9 rate.
Rocker more than proved he was ready for a chance to show off what he could do at the major league level.
Career Statistics
| Level | W-L | G-GS | IP | H | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | BB/9 | K/BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College | 28-10 | 42-39 | 236.2 | 169 | 2.89 | 1.001 | 12.2 | 2.6 | 4.72 |
| Minors | 2-3 | 16-15 | 64.2 | 45 | 2.78 | 0.881 | 13.5 | 1.7 | 8.08 |
| Rangers | 0-0 | 1-1 | 4 | 3 | 2.25 | 1.250 | 15.8 | 4.5 | 3.50 |
The Rangers recalled Rocker from the minors earlier this week and inserted him into the starting rotation. He started Thursday night against Seattle, and while he threw only four innings, that was enough for anyone to see that he can be a dominating pitcher at this level.
Getting Out of Trouble
Only two batters into the game, it appeared that his debut would be a shaky one. Victor Robles led off with a single and Julio Rodriguez followed with one of his own, sending Robles to third. Rodriguez then stole second base, leaving the Mariners with runners at second and third with no outs.
Two on with no outs? No problem. Rocker struck out Cal Raleigh, got Randy Arozarena to pop out to first base, and then induced a fly ball to right field off the bat of Luke Railey. From there Rocker dominated the game except for a Justin Turner home run in the fourth inning. Rocker’s final line for the night was three hits and two walks in four innings with seven strikeouts.
The Stuff
As impressive as the outing was, even more impressive was watching Kumar Rocker make major league hitters look silly against his slider. He threw 33 sliders against the Mariners and combined they were 1-for-8 with five strikeouts. The amazing stat is the 61.9 Whiff% against the pitch.
Rocker could have just thrown his slider all night and it probably would have been fine. However, he also has a very good four seam fastball to pair with a sinker. The four-seamer averaged 96.8 mph Thursday night and generated a 21.4 Whiff% while his sinker averaged 96.2 mph and had a 16.7 Whiff%.
Overall, Rocker finished the night with a 45.2 Chase%, 40.5 Whiff% and 41.2 K%. Outside of the homer by Turner, only three other Mariner hitters were able to put the ball in play with an exit velocity greater than 95 mph, and all three of those resulted in out.
The Future
The ceiling for Kumar Rocker is that of an ace. He can live on his fastball and slider alone, but he also has a developing changeup as well as a curveball.
The obvious knock against Rocker is the fact he has already had shoulder surgery and Tommy John surgery before hitting his 24th birthday. Yet he still has dominant pitches that he commands, indicating that he is fully recovered from those injuries.
If Rocker is available in your league and you can snatch him, do so. Again, I know it was only one start in the majors. However, Rocker dominated hitters in the SEC during his time in college. He has dominated hitters in the minors despite the fact he often faced them recovering from one of his two surgeries. Then on Thursday night, he made the Mariners look silly at times. Go and get him. You won’t be sorry.
