SURPRISE, Ariz. — Kumar Rocker, the uber-talented Rangers pitching prospect the Mets passed on signing in 2021 and one of two heralded “Vandy boys” here (along with Jack Leiter) bringing heat and promise to his new organization, says he is past the Mets disappointment.
“I put it behind me,” Rocker said Sunday at Rangers camp, where he’s impressing folks with a 97 mph heater to go with mound presence and maturity beyond his 23 years. “That’s their business. I have no communication with them. I didn’t have it then. And I don’t have it now.
“It is what it is,” the right-hander continued. “My job is to throw a baseball. That’s what I’m going to continue to do. And I don’t feel like anyone’s going to get in the way as I’m doing what I need to do. It’s unfortunate. But things happen.”
What happened then shocked folks, as the Mets passed on him as their first-round selection in the 2021 draft, No. 10 overall, after citing arm issues — both shoulder and elbow — rather than signing him after agreeing to a $6 million bonus, well above the $4.74 million slot figure for that spot. The Mets made no new offer and received a replacement pick the following year, when Rocker became the No. 3-overall pick and signed for $5.2 million with Texas, a team starved for young pitching but quickly on the rise.
Rocker is throwing in the upper 90s in camp and wowing folks, including star Marcus Semien, who said he was most impressed with Rocker’s “mound presence” in a recent throwing session. Semien surmised that Rocker’s time in upstate New York with the independent team Tri-City ValleyCats made for a nice transition, a level Rocker likened to the NBA’s G-League.
Rocker will have time since the Rangers reinvented their entire staff via free agency and trades. The Rangers brought in several established starters, including new ace Jacob deGrom, to fill out a rotation that’s gone from the bottom to at least average in a hurry.
A little over a year after shoulder surgery to clean up the joint, Rocker, who once was seen as having the potential to be the No. 1 overall pick, feels great. “Everything’s back to normal,” he said. “So now it’s all about executing a pitch.”
Rocker, very poised off the mound as well as on, said he learned the ropes of a pro athlete from his dad, Tracy Rocker, the former college great and NFL defensive lineman and coach. While he said he will try to be more “mindful” about not pushing himself, he also said he only knows one way.
“I grew up with the philosophy you don’t get off the field until you have a bone sticking out,” Rocker said. “That’s how I grew up and that’s how I’m going to continue to play.”