MLB fans did not have to wonder too long about where Kumar Rocker was going to go in the draft on Sunday.
After the Baltimore Orioles selected Jackson Holliday No. 1 and the Arizona Diamondbacks selected Druw Jones No. 2, the Texas Rangers were up and called Rocker’s name with the No. 3 overall pick.
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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, left, announces the selection of Kumar Rocker by the Texas Rangers with the third pick of the 2022 MLB baseball draft, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Rocker was a big-time pitcher for Vanderbilt, which won the 2019 NCAA baseball championship. He was selected by the New York Mets last year, but the two sides could not come to an agreement on a contract over concerns about his physical.
He had shoulder surgery last September and was pitching in the independent Frontier League for the Tri-City ValleyCats. He had a 1.35 ERA in five starts for the team.
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Kumar Rocker is annonunced as the third pick of the 2022 MLB baseball draft, by the Texas Rangers, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
"My talent speaks for itself," Rocker said.
He will reunite with former Vanderbilt teammate, Jack Leiter, who was the No. 2 overall pick of last year’s draft.
"We're extremely comfortable with the medical review that our team has done, our medical team," Rangers general manager Chris Young said.
FILE - Vanderbilt pitcher Kumar Rocker, #80, throws during the first inning in Game 3 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals on June 30, 2021, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz, File)
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In Rocker’s final season at Vanderbilt, he was a unanimous All-American and finalist for the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy. He led the nation with 14 wins and 179 strikeouts.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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