Rangers pitching prospect Kumar Rocker dazzled on Wednesday night in his Triple-A debut for Texas' Round Rock affiliate. Rocker, who was opposed by rehabbing Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, worked five one-hit innings and did not surrender a walk or a run. He also struck out 10 of the 16 batters he faced to establish a new professional career high.
Rocker's fastball touched 99.9 mph on Wednesday night and he generated 15 swinging strikes on 35 attempts, with his trademark slider coercing nearly 80% whiffs itself.
Kumar rocked his first Triple-A start!
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 29, 2024
5 IP
1 H
0 R
0 BB
10 K (career high)
The @Rangers' No. 2 prospect racked up 15 whiffs on 35 swings and touched 99.9 mph for the @RRExpress: pic.twitter.com/bWlKZRQHys
Rocker, 24, authored one of the most storied collegiate careers in recent memory while at Vanderbilt -- he first gained national prominence when he threw a 19-strikeout no-hitter against Duke in 2019. His professional career hasn't been as honeycombed with success, at least not to date.
Rocker was originally drafted by the New York Mets in 2021, but didn't sign after the team had unease with what was discovered in a post-draft physical. After a summer in indy ball, he was then drafted again, this time by the Rangers. He would make only a handful of regular season minor-league appearances for the Rangers before requiring Tommy John surgery that has slowed his ascent to the major leagues.
Rocker returned to the mound in July and has since compiled a 1.71 ERA and an 11.75 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 31 innings and three levels. It's unclear if the Rangers will permit him to make his big-league debut before the season ends -- bear in mind, they have to account for Jacob deGrom's expected return to the rotation over the coming weeks -- but with a few more outings like Wednesday they may not have a choice.
At minimum, a hearty and hale Rocker could play a big role in Texas' rotation come next season.
