Top Prospect Kumar Rocker Set to Make MLB Debut With Texas Rangers on Thursday

Kumar Rocker has had a tumultuous journey to the big leagues, but the former Vanderbilt ace and New York Mets first round pick is finally taking the mound for the Texas Rangers.

Jun 30, 2021; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores pitcher Kumar Rocker (80) pitches in the fourth inning against the Mississippi St. Bulldogs at TD Ameritrade Park. / Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

It's been over three years since the Kumar Rocker draft saga dominated MLB headlines, and the flamethrowing righty has finally made it to The Show.

Rocker will take the mound for the Texas Rangers in Thursday night's series opener against the Seattle Mariners. The start will mark the first of Rocker's big league career, serving as a possible bookend to his tumultuous journey to the majors.

Through it all, Rocker enters the contest as the No. 1 pitcher and No. 2 overall prospect in Texas' farm system. MLB Pipeline has him pegged as the No. 95 prospect in all of baseball.

The Rangers announced the decision to start Rocker on Monday, but they have yet to free up space for him on either their 28-man or 40-man rosters. The team has not made a single transaction since Sept. 6.

On Thursday, we Rock. pic.twitter.com/DmTSivC4Hi

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) September 9, 2024

Rocker made a name for himself by leading Vanderbilt to a College World Series title in 2019, and he would later help bring them back to Omaha in 2021. He and Jack Leiter combined to make up the most dangerous pitching duo in the nation, and they were both held up as top draft prospects that summer.

While Leiter went No. 2 overall to the Rangers, Rocker dropped a bit and got scooped up by the New York Mets at No. 10. The Mets refused to sign Rocker to an above-slot deal after reviewing his medical records, though, and he didn't end up going pro in 2021 after all.

Rocker underwent shoulder surgery that September and elected not to return to Vanderbilt, instead signing with the Tri-City ValleyCats in the leadup to the 2022 MLB Draft. After posting a 1.35 ERA across five starts in the independent Frontier League, Rocker went to the Rangers at No. 3 overall.

While Rocker had ended up securing his payday and reuniting with Leiter, he did not pitch again until the Arizona Fall League season started up. He made six starts at that level, then six more with High-A Hickory at the start of 2023 before he was shut down and underwent Tommy John surgery.

Rocker did not return until this past July, but it didn't take him long to ramp things up from there.

The 24-year-old surged from the Arizona Complex League to Double-A, then from Double-A to Triple-A in a span of just eight weeks. Rocker has made nine starts and 10 appearances in the minors this season, going 0-1 with a 1.96 ERA, 0.791 WHIP and 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings along the way.

That production earned Rocker a call-up to the majors with just 16 games left in the regular season. The Rangers are out of the playoff race at 70-76, but that didn't stop them from promoting one of their top prospects and giving him a brief taste of the big leagues before the end of 2024.

First pitch between the Rangers and Mariners is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET. Bryce Miller, Seattle's fourth round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, will match up with Rocker as the opposing starting pitcher.

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