Ex-New York Mets 1st-Round Pick Taken Third Overall by Rangers

Ex-New York Mets first-round pick taken third overall by Texas Rangers.

This one was a bit of a shock.

Former Mets 2021 first-round pick, Kumar Rocker, who re-entered the MLB draft this year after he and New York were unable to reach a contract agreement as a result of his medicals last summer, was taken No. 3 overall by the Texas Rangers on Sunday night.

Rocker was selected seven slots higher than the Mets took him a year ago, and is expected to agree to a $5.2 million signing bonus with the Rangers (according to The New York Post), which is substantially lower than the slot value at this pick: $7,591,600. 

In 2021, the Mets and Rocker had a signing bonus of $6 million on the table, which was higher than the No. 10 overall slot value: $4.7 million. The Mets chose not to sign him due to their concerns over his medicals. Rocker dropped to the Mets due to a dip in velocity in his final campaign at Vanderbilt University.

Rocker spent the year rehabbing, before pitching in the Independent League for the Tri-City ValleyCats. The righty posted a 1.35 ERA across five starts (20 innings) for the ValleyCats. He built his velocity back up to the upper-90s and was deemed healthy, which is why the Rangers decided to select him at No. 3, thus reuniting him with his former Vanderbilt rotation-mate, Jack Leiter, who was Texas' top pick in 2021. Leiter is the son of longtime Mets pitcher Al Leiter. 

Rocker going third was a surprising move, which ultimately shook up the draft order. It also paved the way for the Mets to land a top 10 talent in Georgia Tech catcher Kevin Parada, who wound up falling to them at No. 11 overall. 

“It kind of changed the dynamic, in a way, of the first 10 picks,” Mets VP of international and amateur scouting, Tommy Tanous, told reporters of Rocker. “So when it happened, I was surprised -- I think we all were a little bit surprised. Not surprised at the talent (of Rocker), and that goes without saying. But it started to occur to us when that happened, like, we’re going to get a player here we might not quite deserve. So it really worked out well.”

The Mets were given the 11th pick as compensation for failing to sign Rocker last year. They also held the No. 14 overall selection, which they used to grab high school shortstop Jett Williams. New York had two more picks on opening night of the draft, which saw them take University of Tennessee right-handed pitcher Blade Tidwell (No. 52) and Gonzaga Prep outfielder Nick Morabito (No. 75, Noah Syndergaard compensation pick). 

Read More:

- Mets Select Kevin Parada, Jett Williams in 1st-Round of MLB Draft

- Mets to 'Explore' Trade for Juan Soto

- Mets Interested in Re-Signing These Pending Free Agents

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