The Mets got perhaps the steal of the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft, selecting Vanderbilt RHP Kumar Rocker with the No. 10 overall selection.
Rocker, a 6-foot-5 junior, was part of a 1-2 punch in the rotation with Jack Leiter – who was selected No. 2 overall by Texas – that led Vandy to the College World Series this year. A consensus Preseason All-American, Rocker made the All-SEC First Team after going 14-4 with a 2.73 ERA in 20 starts, with 179 strikeouts and a 0.934 WHIP in 122 innings.
“He’s a very invested young man in himself and his teammates, and shows up with the same disposition to improve every single day,” Commodores head coach Tim Corbin said of Rocker on Vanderbilt’s team web site. “He loves the competitive arena and thrives in it. His enjoyment for the collegiate environment and his ability to stay present in it, has been very satisfying to be part of. He has taken full advantage of his situation here and embraced these moments of his life with great enthusiasm. I love what he is doing and who he is becoming.”
Over three years in Nashville, Rocker was 28-10 with a 2.89 ERA in 42 games (39 starts), striking out 321 in 236 2/3 innings with a 1.001 WHIP. He was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2019 CWS, which he helped Vandy win as a freshman,
“Don’t walk past the obvious,” Mets scouting director Marc Tramuta said shortly after the team selected Rocker. “For us, this was an obvious pick. This is an extremely talented young man that we just couldn’t pass.”
“It was awesome, everything and more. I’m excited to move forward,” Rocker told MLB Network shortly after his selection. “I anticipate a lot of struggles but a lot of learning, and I’m excited to do that with the Mets.”
Rocker also has a sports pedigree, as his dad, Tracy, was a two-time football All-American at Auburn and played two seasons for the Washington Football Team in 1989-90. The elder Rocker has been a coach for nearly 30 years, slated now for his first season as the defensive line coach under Nick Sirianni in Philadelphia after spending the last seven years at various SEC schools (none of which were Vandy).
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