After entering 2021 as that Draft's top-rated prospect, Rocker is this Draft's biggest enigma despite two spectacular full seasons at Vanderbilt. As a freshman in 2019, he threw a 19-strikeout no-hitter against Duke in the NCAA Super Regionals and earned two victories and Most Outstanding Player honors at the College World Series. In 2021, he helped the Commodores return to the CWS finals and topped NCAA Division I in wins (14) and strikeouts (179 in 122 innings, tying teammate Jack Leiter). The Mets selected him 10th overall July in and agreed to a $6 million bonus, but they walked away from the deal after a post-Draft physical created unspecified concerns about his shoulder and elbow.
Rocker's velocity fluctuated during the 2021 season, with his fastball averaging 93 mph, sitting in the low 90s at times and touching 99 at others. His heater features some run and sink but also flattens out on occasion. All 19 of his strikeouts against Duke came on his slider, a mid-80s wipeout pitch with power and depth when at its best, and he also employs a low-80s curveball with more vertical break.
Rocker also has a sinking mid-80s changeup that shows signs of becoming an average offering, though it gets too firm at times and he doesn't use it much. The son of former NFL defensive lineman Tracy Rocker, he's a physical right-hander who throws strikes but possesses just average command. Even though teams were getting more details about his health, and some information about a September shoulder surgery was made public weeks before the Draft, it's still difficult to figure out where he'll fit into the 2022 Draft. Rather than return to Vanderbilt, he opted to go to the independent Frontier League, where he showed his high-end stuff during controlled outings leading up to the Draft.
Rocker might have been a first-rounder as a Georgia high schooler in 2018 had he been signable away from a commitment to Vanderbilt, where he became college baseball's biggest star. In his two full seasons, he threw a 19-strikeout no-hitter against Duke in the NCAA super regionals and won College World Series Most Outstanding Player honors as a freshman in 2019, then topped NCAA Division I in wins (14) and strikeouts (179) in 2021. Drafted 10th overall by the Mets that July, he agreed to a $6 million bonus before a post-Draft physical revealed shoulder and elbow issues that led the club to pull its offer.
Following shoulder surgery in September 2021, Rocker returned to the mound the next spring in the independent Frontier League and flashed high-end stuff in controlled outings. The Rangers surprised other clubs by selecting him third overall in the 2022 Draft, signing him for an under-slot $5.2 million and using the savings to give MLB Pipeline's highest-rated pitcher (Brock Porter) a record $3.7 million in the fourth round. Rocker was underwhelming in the Arizona Fall League in 2022, then dominated High-A hitters to open last season -- only to blow out his elbow in May and require Tommy John surgery.
Rocker is famous for his slider, a wipeout mid-80s beast with power and depth, and he showed it off in both the AFL and in his official pro debut last spring. The quality of his mid-90s fastball varied, as it lacked life and command in Arizona when he worked from a lower arm angle than usual, then got more swings and misses when he threw from a higher slot in 2023. Texas had him incorporate more two-seamers with sink to get more movement on his heater.
While Rocker also possesses a plus low-80s curveball and an average mid-80s changeup, he focuses mainly on his fastball and slider. The son of former NFL defensive lineman Tracy Rocker, he's extremely physical and has a history of providing strikes but demonstrates just average command. His arm angle still varied at times in 2023, so he needs to prove he can maintain the high three-quarters slot at which he's most effective. He's a high-variance prospect who flashes frontline starter stuff but also comes with reliever risk, and he was 24 years old with just 28 innings in the Minors when he returned to the mound in late 2024.
College baseball's biggest star during his time at Vanderbilt, Rocker spun a 19-strikeout no-hitter against Duke in the NCAA super regionals and won College World Series Most Outstanding Player honors as a freshman in 2019, then led NCAA Division I in wins (14) and strikeouts (179) in 2021. The Mets took him 10th overall that July and agreed to pay him a $6 million bonus before a post-Draft physical revealed shoulder and elbow issues that led the club to withdraw its offer. Rocker had shoulder surgery that September before returning to the mound and flashing his previous stuff in the independent Frontier League last spring. The Rangers stunned the industry by selecting him with the No. 3 pick in the 2022 Draft, then signed him for an under-slot $5.2 million and used the savings to pay MLB Pipeline's top-ranked pitcher (Brock Porter) a record $3.7 million in the fourth round.
Best known for his wipeout mid-80s slider with power and depth, Rocker beat hitters with it once again when he took the mound for short stints in the Arizona Fall League. Though his fastball sat in the mid-90s -- it has reached 99 mph in the past -- he struggled to throw it for strikes or miss bats when he did. His heater was more effective and he did a better job of locating it during his official pro debut in 2023, when he looked dominant for six High-A starts before tearing a ligament in his elbow that required Tommy John surgery that will sideline him until at least mid-2024.
Rocker also has a plus low-80s curveball and an average mid-80s changeup, yet he relies heavily on his fastball and slider. The son of former NFL defensive lineman Tracy Rocker, he's physical and throws strikes but has just average command. While he displayed frontline starter upside again in 2023 before his elbow gave out, he'll be 24 years old with 28 innings of Minor League experience when he returns to game action.
Rocker enjoyed a storied career at Vanderbilt that included a 19-strikeout no-hitter against Duke in the NCAA super regionals and earned two victories and Most Outstanding Player honors at the College World Series as a freshman in 2019. He led NCAA Division I in wins (14) and strikeouts (179 in 122 innings, tying teammate Jack Leiter) in 2021 and went 10th overall in that Draft to the Mets, who agreed to pay him a $6 million bonus before a physical exam revealed concerns about his shoulder and elbow. New York withdrew its offer and Rocker had shoulder surgery that September before returning this spring in the independent Frontier League. After he flashed his previous stuff in short stints, the Rangers surprised the industry by drafting him third overall in July. They signed him for an under-slot $5.2 million, then used the savings to pay MLB Pipeline's top-rated pitcher, Brock Porter, $3.7 million in the fourth round.
During his last extended stretch of pitching at Vanderbilt in 2021, Rocker's fastball sat at 92-94 mph, though it reached 99 at times and did so again in the Frontier League. His heater has some run and sink but also can flatten out at higher velocities. His best pitch is a wipeout mid-80s slider with power and depth, and he used it to finish each of his 19 strikeouts against Duke.
Rocker's low-80s curveball with more vertical break gives him a third plus offering and he also has an average mid-80s changeup with sink that he didn't need much as an amateur. The son of former NFL defensive lineman Tracy Rocker, he's a physical right-hander who throws strikes but possesses just average command. Teams who examined his medical information still express some concern about his shoulder and elbow, but he's a potential frontline starter if he can remain healthy.
Rocker ranked No. 23 on MLB Pipeline's Draft Top 200 as a Georgia high schooler in 2018, but his strong commitment to Vanderbilt dropped him all the way to the Rockies in the 38th round. An immediate weekend starter for the Commodores, he capped an up-and-down freshman season with a spectacular finish, tossing a 19-strikeout no-hitter against Duke in the NCAA Super Regionals and earning two victories and Most Outstanding Player honors at the College World Series. He entered the year as the top-rated and most famous prospect in the 2021 Draft, and he mostly lived up to expectations while helping Vandy return to the CWS finals and leading NCAA Division I in wins (14) and strikeouts (179 in 122 innings, tying teammate Jack Leiter).
The son of former NFL defensive lineman Tracy Rocker, Kumar is a physical right-hander who can overpower hitters with his fastball and breaking pitches. He usually operates at 93-96 mph with his heater, which can reach 99 and features some run and sink but also can get flat at times, though his velocity sat in the low 90s for three weeks early in the season. He notched all 19 of his whiffs in his no-hitter with his slider, a mid-80s beast with power and depth that grades as plus-plus, and he also has a low-80s curveball with more vertical break.
Rocker hasn't used his changeup much, and while his fourth offering has average potential and some sink, it gets too firm at times. He throws strikes but has just average command, and he'll need more finesse for days when he doesn't have his top-notch stuff. The Golden Spikes Award finalist has the makings of a frontline starter but isn't a finished product, and scouts would like to see him dominate more consistently.
How this works: Every pitch is affected by the forces of gravity,
which means that every pitch drops on its way from the mound to the plate.
These numbers are reported with gravity, which makes them larger and
different than other pitch movement numbers you may have seen. Since gravity
requires time, and slower pitches aren’t ‘better’ just because they have
more time to move, the movement of a pitch is compared to ‘average’ movement
by comparing it to other MLB pitch types within +/- 2 MPH and from within
+/- 0.5 feet of extension and release.
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
Team
Avg HR Trot
Actual HR
xHR
HR-xHR
Doubters
Mostly Gone
No Doubters
No Doubter %
2024
24.7
1
0.3
1
0
1
0
0.0
Player
24.7
1
0.3
1
0
1
0
0.0
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
HR
2024
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
Player
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift:
three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of
their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about
how positioning is defined here
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