2021 Mets Draft Profile: Kumar Rocker

Kumar Rocker is a second generation athlete. His father is Tracy Quinton Rocker, two-time All-American and three-time All-SEC selection while playing Auburn who was selected in the third round of the 1989 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins and played professionally for them for two seasons before moving on to training. Her uncle is David Deaundra Rocker, who also played Auburn and played professionally for the Los Angeles Rams for four years. Kumar, whose mother, Lalitha, is from India, inherited their athletic genes, did not follow in their footsteps. He played football and baseball when he enrolled at North Oconee High School in Bogart, Georgia, but quit playing football, which he wrote twice, completely before his freshman year of high school. At that point, his pitching skills really started to shine. He entered high school with a fastball that hit his high 80s and he continued to get better and better and better, and by the time he started to focus solely on baseball , the pitch was between the low to mid-90s and regularly hit the high-90s. Its secondary locations began to develop. He grew physically, becoming an impressive 6’5 “, 245 pound specimen.

By the end of the 2018 season, the right-hander was considered not only one of the best prep pitchers available in the 2018 MLB Draft, but also one of the best players available. He had a strong commitment to Vanderbilt and was ignored as a result. The Colorado Rockies drafted him in the 38th round of the 2018 MLB Draft, 1,146 overall, anyway, but negotiations between the two sides were virtually nonexistent and Rocker attended Vanderbilt as planned.

Rocker was expected to be a great pitcher, but he performed better than anyone could have imagined in his first year with the Commodores. Appearing in 19 games for Vanderbilt and starting 16, he posted a 3.25 ERA in 99.2 innings, allowing 88 hits, walking 21 and striking out 114. His early NCAA appearances weren’t bad per se, but he really started to gain momentum in his second half, posting a 2.17 ERA in his last 11 starts, pulling out 82 catches on catches in 70. , 2 sleeves. His dominance continued in the NCAA tournament – a major reason Vanderbilt won the 2019 College World Series – and on June 8, Rocker made history. Pitching against Duke, he became the first pitcher in NCAA history to pitch a hit in the super regional round of the 2019 NCAA Division I baseball tournament, striking out 19 batters during the 3-0 victory for the Commodores. Days later, he set another record, registering 11 strikeouts in the College World Series final against Michigan. Fittingly, Rocker has won a plethora of awards and has been announced to various honorary teams.

The right-hander returned to Vanderbilt in 2020 and the defending and reigning champions appeared to be supercharged as Rocker was now joined in the rotation by Jack Leiter, Al Leiter’s son and an incredibly talented pitcher in his own right, who has passed away. turn pro in the 2019 MLB Draft to play for the Commodores. The two seemed poised to form one of the two, if not the most formidable, in NCAA baseball, but unfortunately fate would have other plans. Rocker and Leiter got off to good starts, but COVID-19 prompted the NCAA to cancel the 2020 college baseball season. Rocker only ended up pitching in three games, posting a 1.80 ERA in 15.0 innings with 6 hits allowed, 8 walks and 28 strikeouts.

Rocker returned to Vanderbilt in 2021 and was finally able to form the formidable duo with Leiter that many had dreamed of since the latter enrolled in school. Both pitched as advertised and for brief periods the two were considered the best draft prospects available in the 2021 MLB Draft, leaping over the top of the others and sometimes flipping on top of each other. The right-hander walked out the gate with the best fastball speed of his early career, sitting in the mid-90s and sometimes flirting with triple-digit numbers, but about a month into the 2021 college season, flags red began to appear. Although his numbers didn’t take a hit, as Rocker was a great overall thrower with multiple weapons, his fast ball speed started to drop precariously. From late March to early April, his fastball was on average in the 90s. He regained some speed in late April, but by early May, he was back in the low 90s again. The reduced speed didn’t. wasn’t affected much, as Rocker posted a 2.73 ERA in 122.0 innings during his junior year, allowing 75 hits, walking 37 and striking out 179 on catches. Rocker took the mound in the decisive third game of the 2021 University World Series which saw the Commodores defend against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, but the right-hander had an unusual outing, allowing five runs – four earned – in addition to four innings in what would apparently be the last time he took the mound for Vandy. Despite the loss and unfortunate end for him, Rocker was once again honored with various accolades and named to various honorary teams, including being named a 2021 Golden Spikes Award finalist as well as a Dick Howser Trophy finalist.

At 6’5 “, 245 pounds, Rocker has an ideal frame for pitching. Its mechanics are clean, with an overhead winding, crisp arm action in the back and balanced tracking. It repeats well. his release point and is able to hold it on long starts. He sometimes loses control of his fastball and his other throws suffer as they all penetrate very well, but Rocker has an exceptional arsenal that allows him to succeed. even when he loses the feel of one of his other throws.

Rocker’s fastball is above average terrain when at its best, not only with exceptional speed, but also with a lot of run and downhill. As mentioned, his fast ball speed hasn’t been consistent throughout the 2021 season, but even when his speed is on the decline, the pitch is still difficult to hit thanks to the extension he gets on the pitch. and its perceived speed thanks to this extension and the rate of rotation of the pitch, which is generally located at 2250 rpm. The terrain doesn’t experience too many jumps and failures on its own, but that’s partly by design, as Rocker uses it to advance the scoring and set up his cursor.

The slider is an easier pitch, widely regarded by many Scouts and Evaluators as the best slider in the 2021 draft class. The pitch, which sits in the mid-80s, exhibits a late downward bite. It has a trajectory similar to that of a curved ball, with more vertical break than horizontal movement, and thanks to the way it spins, it doesn’t start to break until it’s deep in the area, which makes it difficult to recognize and react to hitters. The field digs extremely well with his fastball and is his main strikeout area.

Rocker throws his fastball slider almost exclusively, but he also has a shift and a curveball in his back pocket. Neither is as advanced as its bread and butter locations, but both have potential. The change lacks consistency but flickers on average and should become a medium step with more use and added refinement. It is set in the mid-1980s and has a low turnover rate, which gives it a vertical drop. Like his slider, Rocker’s tunnels change well with his fastball. Its arsenal is completed by its curve, a low pitch of the 80s similar to its slider but with a more vertical break. He doesn’t use terrain much and like his change could grow more with more use. He also digs well with his fastball and induces a high number of hits for the relatively low amount of use he gets.