After an impressive performance in his MLB debut going four innings, allowing one run and striking out seven, #KumarRocker prepares for his first star in front of the Texas Rangers’ home crowd. Rocker, 24, worked his way to the majors in his comeback season from Tommy John surgery. Rocker turned in seven dominant starts at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. In his five starts for Double-A Frisco, Rocker pitched to a 0.46 ERA with 29 strikeouts and three walks in 19 2/3 innings. He then made a pair of starts for Triple-A Round Rock, and over that brief span Rocker boasted a 1.80 ERA with 18 strikeouts and only one walk in 10 innings.
Kumar Rocker’s Major League debut was worth the wait as his slider is already looking like one of the most dangerous pitches in baseball. He takes the top spot on Week 24 of our #HighFive list after a solid first outing against the Mariners.
Kumar Rocker
Rocker struck out seven and gave up just one run on three hits in his Major League debut last Thursday in Seattle.
“It was the adrenaline rush you always need,” Rocker told me when describing his debut.
“It was time to compete at the highest level and I just wanted to make the most of it.”
He got seventeen swings and misses, 13 by way of his reaper type slider which is Rocker’s best pitch. At times, it can move like a curveball.
Since he got to Vanderbilt, Rocker has shown he can be one of the most dominant pitchers in the world. His college resume includes a College World Series Super Regionals no-hitter over Duke, a 19-strikeout game and a CWS Most Outstanding award all as a freshman.
Now the goal for Rocker is to end the season strong and help prepare to step into a full-time role in the Major League rotation in 2024.
Aaron Judge
Aaron Judge takes the two spot on our #HighFive list after snapping his career-long homerless streak and helping his Yankees become the first team in the American League to clinch a playoff spot with a 2-for-4 four RBI performance Wednesday night.
Judge went 16 games without hitting a bomb before launching a go-ahead grand slam last Friday to get the win against the rival Boston Red Sox.
Even without consistently hitting the ball out of the ballpark, he still has found ways to be effective on offense.
In 15 games this month Judge has reached safely in all but one.
Over his last seven games, he is hitting .333 with 10 RBI, a stolen base, six walks and two home runs.
C.J. Abrams
C.J. Abrams clinched his first 20/20 season of his career, putting a bow on one of the best seasons for any MLBbro this year.
In year three we saw signs of why C.J. Abrams was one of the most highly touted prospects when he came to Washington in the Juan Soto deal.
He got close to the mark last year after stealing 47 bases and hitting 18 home runs in 2023, but this time around Abrams became the second MLBbro in the 20/20 club this season, the other being New York Yankee third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr.
In his last seven games, the 2024 National League All-Star shortstop has a .320 average, a .600 slugging percentage and he hit two solo home runs.
“Late Night” LaMonte Wade
LaMonte Wade is one of the most consistent players in the Majors when it comes to getting on base.
He has hits in seven of his last eight games and has raised his play during this final month of the year after struggling through the entire summer.
Wade has a .348 average and .400 on base percentage in his last seven games.
However, his surge may be too little too late as his Giants are slowly fading away in the race for one of the final National League Wild Card spots.
Lawrence Butler
Lawrence Butler gets the final spot on this week’s #HighFive list after his career-long 22-game hitting streak.
That streak tied Butler for the second longest one in the Majors this season, trailing only Bryan Reynolds who had hits in 25 straight games.
The hitless games would not last long, as he picked up hits in his next two games including his first career homer in Wrigley Field.
Butler is slashing .328/.379/.508 with three steals, four RBI and two home runs in September.
Not too long ago, Texas Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker was considered a can’t miss prospect.
That was in 2019 when he tossed a 19-strikeout, no-hitter against the Duke Blue Devils as a member of the Vanderbilt Commodores. That outing came in an elimination game of the NCAA Super Regionals. Rocker then one-upped himself by winning two games in the College World Series to lead Vandy to the 2019 CWS national championship. For his efforts he was named Most Outstanding Player.
From that point on Rocker was in many ways considered one of the two top pitching prospects, along with teammate Jack Leiter, (the top pick in the 2021 MLB Draft). In that same draft Rocker was taken 10th overall, but because of his arm issues the New York Mets opted against signing him and suffered their share of criticism.
Rocker re-entered the draft in 2022 and was taken No.3 overall by the Rangers.
Another Man’s Trash Is Another’s Man Treasure
Just over 16 months ago Rocker blew out his elbow. Because of that unfortunate circumstance there were major questions about Rocker following Tommy John Surgery. Upon his return to both Double-A and Triple-A Rocker has been his usual overpowering self. In just over 29 2/3 combined innings Rocker fanned 47 while allowing just 17 base runners, three runs and a paltry 0.91 ERA. Rocker’s grit and perseverance is something that ultimately helped the Rangers to make a decision on drafting him.
Kumar Rocker no doubt has big league stuff
Between AA and AAA he holds a 0.92 ERA with a 0.58 WHIP
“He’s been dealt some challenging circumstances with things that were out of is control, Rangers assistant GM Ross Fenstermaker recently told reporters. “But I think the biggest takeaway the Rock is he’s just so strong-willed and determined to achieve what he wants to achieve. He’s really built to handle adversity in a very high capacity. It’s impressive what he does and how he goes about it.”
When this Melanated Mound Marauder is right, he’s got the stuff that managers and pitching coaches look for in an ace. The two pitches the burly 6-foot-5 and 245-pound hurler rely on most is a blessed high-end fastball (97-98 MPH) and slider, Rocker has also added a very solid change-up to his repertoire of pitches. That pitch tops off in the low-90s with some fade.
With the Rangers playoff hopes very slim, bringing Rocker up for his first start in mid-September is more about next year. That’s when team brass in expecting the talented MLBbro to be a part of a rotation that also features Jacob DeGrom, Cody Bradford, Jon Gray and Tyler Mable.
And while all of them bring different things to the mound, none of them have the talent that Rocker does.
He was ready to cook in 2023 and spoke to MLBbro.com reporter Malik Wright about it in a “Live On Tape At The Ballpark” segment.
Tonight, we finally get to see the healthy version of Rocker for the first time on an MLB mound. That’s a scary thought, with the same high expectations he had a few years back.
Just five years ago, Texas Rangers prospect and former top-five pick Kumar Rocker was celebrating a College World Series win with his Vanderbilt Commodore teammates.
Rocker was the talk of the baseball world after pitching a no-hitter against Duke in the Super Regionals and allowing just two runs while striking out 17 in just over 12 innings pitched against Michigan in the CWS.
That type of play helped Rocker become the 10th overall pick of the New York Mets in the 2021 MLB Draft. Things with the Mets went up in smoke after the draft when the club expressed concern over Rocker’s elbow during a physical.
As a result, the Mets and Rocker ultimately decided not to continue their negotiations of a deal which also included a hefty $6 million signing bonus. That meant Rocker would be eligible to be drafted in the 2022 MLB Draft.
Rocker Goes No.3 To Rangers In 2022 MLB Draft
When you’re as talented as Rocker, teams will be chomping at the bit to draft you, and that’s exactly what happened the next year when the Texas Rangers made Rocker the No.3 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.
Maybe the Rangers were onto something as the Rocker who despite his collegiate pedigree was a surprise pick by the Rangers at No.3 with his injury concerns. And the $5.3 million signing bonus he received was a bit under the $7.6 million allotted for that spot, but it showed that the Rangers believe Rocker has the “IT” factor.
In many ways, the Mets were correct to scale back the big signing bonus as test indicated there was definitely something wrong with Rocker’s arm.
Rocker’s injury last season which occurred after six solid starts in High-A (3.86 ERA, 42 strikeouts and just seven walks) in 28 total innings at the time was described as acute meaning he tore a ligament in his elbow on a specific pitch. In other words, he needed Tommy John Surgery.
As Rucker continues to work his way back the talented hurler knows it’s a slight chance he’ll be back by mid-summer, but he won’t see his first full season of professional ball until 2025, when he’ll be 25-years-old.
The 6-foot-5 and 245 pounder is set to pick up his mound activity with the hope of returning to the diamond this summer. An excited Rangers assistant general manager Ross Fenstermaker recently told reporters at The Dallas News this about Rocker’s prognosis.
“We are really excited. It’s coming out so free and easy when the ball leaves his hand.”
Good news for the Rangers — the defending World Series champions — who can’t wait to team Rocker with his former Commodores teammate Jack Leiter, taken No.2 overall in the 2021 MLB Draft.
With the heartbreaking news that Texas Rangers first-round pick Kumar Rocker is going to miss at least a year after tearing a ligament in his right elbow, Mark and Manny readdress the backlash the Mets received after they drafted Rocker but couldn’t reach a contract with the talented MLBbro hurler after injury concerns surfaced.
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