Kumar Rocker finds home ahead of 2022 MLB Draft
Kumar Rocker is one of the biggest question marks of the 2022 MLB Draft. The New York Mets had selected Rocker with the tenth overall pick last year and were reportedly set to offer a $6 million bonus. However, the Mets claimed that there was an issue with his elbow in his throwing arm afterwards, pulling the offer and failing to come to an agreement.
It was not a surprise that Rocker and his representatives said that there was nothing wrong with his elbow. However, it was a surprise when they said that he would not return to Vanderbilt and look for an opportunity elsewhere before the 2022 MLB Draft.
Kumar Rocker finds his pre-draft home
The question of where has finally been answered. Rocker is set to pitch in the Frontier League, toiling for the Tri-City ValleyCats until the upcoming draft in July.
This is Rocker’s chance to prove himself. He will have approximately a month of game action, presumably giving him a chance to improve his draft stock. MLB.com ranks Rocker as the 31st best prospect in the upcoming draft, although that ranking is very much in limbo depending on his performance in the Frontier League.
As it was, there were already questions about Rocker. His fastball velocity fluctuated during the 2021 season, ranging from the low 90s to 99 MPH. While he has three plus pitches with the fastball, a sweeping sider, and a devastating curve, there were questions as to whether or not he would need to be converted into a reliever.
Rocker has a chance to put all of these questions to rest. If he dominates for Tri-City, he could easily improve his draft position, moving from a fringe first rounder to someone who could land squarely in the middle of the round. At the same time, if Rocker falls flat, he could easily plummet down the draft boards.
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Kumar Rocker was taking a chance by skipping Vanderbilt to head to the independent leagues. At least now, we know where he will play before the draft.