The No. 2 MLBpipeline.com Texas Rangers starting pitcher prospect Kumar Rocker struck out ten batters in his Triple-A Round Rock debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate, Triple-A Oklahoma City, on Wednesday, August 28.
Rocker threw five innings on Wednesday and allowed one hit, no earned runs, while facing 16 batters.
His fastball touched 99.9 mph on Wednesday night and generated 15 swinging strikes on 35 attempts while throwing 67 pitches and 44 strikes.
Rocker, 24, was born in Watkinsville, Ga., and has maternal grandparents who immigrated to the United States from Andhra Pradesh, India.
Earlier this season, Rocker was placed on the 60-day injured list on March 24, 2024, while recovering from Tommy John Surgery.
He was activated on July 5 to the Rangers Complex Level, posting a 0-1 record with a 6.43 ERA in three appearances and two starts. He pitched seven innings, allowing 11 hits, five earned runs, one home run, one walk, and eight strikeouts before he was assigned to Double-A Frisco on July 26.
In Double-A Frisco, Rocker started in five games with no decisions, eclipsing a 0.46 ERA, throwing 19.2 innings, allowing nine hits, one earned run, three walks, 29 strikeouts, and a 0.610 WHIP.
Rocker has been one of the most talked about pitching prospects in the last six years, playing at Vanderbilt University for three seasons before being drafted by the New York Mets as the 10th overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft.
Rocker and the Mets had verbally agreed on a $6 million signing bonus, which was $1.4 million above the slot value of where he was selected overall. However, the Mets decided not to make Rocker an offer after reviewing his medical information after signing him.
Rocker went 28-10 with a 2.89 ERA in 39 collegiate starts, pitching 236.2 innings, allowing 169 hits, ten home runs, walking 68 batters, and recording 321 strikeouts in his three seasons at Vanderbilt University.
Rocker played in the Arizona Fall League during the winter of 2022. He posted a 2-1 record with a 4.50 ERA, starting in six games and pitching 14 innings, allowing 12 hits, walking 12 batters, and striking out 32.
Rocker played in the Frontier League last season with the Tri-City ValleyCats after signing on May 13, 2022, before being drafted and signing with the Texas Rangers in the 2022 MLB Draft.
Rocker started in five games with a 1-0 record and 1.35 ERA through 20 innings pitched, allowing 11 hits, two home runs, walking four batters, and striking out 32 before landing with the Rangers.
The Rangers selected him in the first round as the third overall selection, and he signed a $5.2M signing bonus. He did not play in affiliate ball last season deciding to focus on training at the Rangers facility before the Arizona Fall League season.
Texas has top-ranked MLBpipeline.com pitching prospects in their farm system that they can potentially utilize in trades for this offseason, such as No. 3 Alejandro Rosario, No. 4 Jack Leiter, No. 6 Emiliano Teodo, and No. 8 Winston Santos.
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WBN MLB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mlb/
Photo Credit: Kumar Rocker #80 of the Texas Rangers throws a pitch during a minor league spring training game against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium on March 25, 2023 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
