Texas Rangers Star Pitching Prospect Ready To Make Impact in Major Leagues
The Texas Rangers were one of the most disappointing teams in baseball during the 2024 season.
After winning the World Series in 2023, the team’s performance fell off a cliff as they didn’t even qualify for the postseason, going 78-84. Injuries were a major factor, especially to what was supposed to be a dominant pitching staff.
Max Scherzer was able to get on the mound for only nine starts and Jacob deGrom made three. Andrew Heaney was the only player to reach the 30-start plateau, as Nathan Eovaldi just missed it with 29.
After those two, the most starts a pitcher made was 19 by Jon Gray.
Better health and performance on the mound will certainly be needed for the Rangers to return to the top of the American League. One player who is going to help them achieve that in 2025 and beyond is Kumar Rocker.
Their No. 2 ranked prospect, behind 18-year-old phenom infielder Sebastian Walcott, is also a top-ranked prospect in the sport, coming in at No. 58 overall. His path to the Major Leagues has been a windy one, as the New York Mets selected him No. 10 overall in the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft but didn’t sign a contract.
His medicals were flagged, which led to him pitching in the Arizona Fall League and Frontier League in 2022. He was in the draft again that year, where Texas selected him No. 3 overall.
Rocker spent time on the shelf because of Tommy John surgery, as the concerns the Mets had were valid. But, there was no denying the talent that he possessed, as he showcased that in his return to the mound in 2024.
Blowing away hitters regularly, he forced his way through the team’s Minor League system, making his MLB debut on Sept. 12, 2024. He is now the team’s most MLB-ready prospect in the opinion of Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report.
“Rocker overpowered minor league hitters in his return from Tommy John surgery last season, posting a 1.96 ERA and a 55-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 36.2 innings across three levels to force his way onto the MLB roster in September. The 6'5", 245-pound right-hander made three starts down the stretch and should have every opportunity to win a rotation spot this spring.”
He handled things rather well in his short time with the Rangers near the end of 2024. Right now, FanGraphs does not have him listed among the team’s projected starting rotation.
Eovaldi, deGrom, Gray, Tyler Mahle and Cody Bradford currently hold the spots.
Rocker has limited professional experience with 16 Minor League appearances and 11 more in Fall and Independent Leagues. That could be the only reason the team doesn’t have him on the Major League roster, as his talent certainly looks good enough to handle.
But, one injury, or a dominant performance during Spring Training, would catapult him right into the mix.