Last season the Texas Rangers had a decision to make – should they use their No. 2 overall pick on pedigreed RHP Jack Leiter or should they go with his Vanderbilt teammate RHP Kumar Rocker?
As the draft process wore on, Kumar’s stock fell when questions regarding his command started dominating conversations and fastball velocity fell, sparking questions of health.
As we know, the Texas Rangers opted for Leiter and never looked back. Rocker fell all the way to the Mets at No. 10 and after failing a physical, he went unsigned and sits available for the draft once again.
Would/Should the Texas Rangers take a flyer on once-touted prospect Kumar Rocker in the 2022 MLB Draft?
Rocker is a blue-chip prospect, plain and simple. He was first round prospect as a high schooler and he was a first rounder leaving college last season. This season, he’s nowhere near that same first round status but he still has that same blue chip ceiling, altering the risk/reward model and making him a discussion in draft rooms all across the league.
The Athletic has him ranked as the No. 34 player in the draft, so if the Texas Rangers take a stab at Rocker, it’ll come after the first round.
That’s what makes this tantalizing.
The idea of getting a former top-3 prospect (he was considered top-3 in 2019) and 10th overall pick in the second round, takes away some of the risk and maintains much of the reward.
In order to rebuild his value, Rocker took the mound for the Tri-City ValleyCats last month. He showed he has that same velocity he did at Vandy and he showed he still has multiple at his disposal. He faded in a couple games which could indicate a variety of things (thus mucking up draft positioning this year) but overall he was great.
The hard-throwing RHP has dominant traits even if he never fully realizes command for the game. Assuming he passes a physical, he could be a steal in the draft this summer. Health is question right now.
The Mets didn’t publicly disclose what scared them away from signing Rocker last year. The Texas Rangers would have to consider the possibility he is hurt and will not be on a typical prospect timeline. But anytime an elite prospect like Kumar Rocker falls a round or three, the idea is worth exploring. Everyone loves a steal but not everyone is willing to embrace the risk that often comes with it.
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What would you do if you were in charge of the Texas Rangers draft? How far would he have to fall?