Rangers introduce Rocker same day that 2 past No. 1s debut
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Kumar Rocker will spend just a few extra days across the Texas Rangers earlier than going to Arizona, the place the third general draft decide is predicted to make his organizational debut within the fall educational league.
“Getting via this course of is the beginning line,” Rocker mentioned when formally launched by the Rangers on Thursday, greater than per week after signing a contract with a $5.2 million bonus. “So, pitching on the market, getting free and being myself, it’s an ideal step in the fitting path.”
Hours after Rocker’s introduction on the stadium, two of the the Rangers’ former No. 1 picks made their main league debuts.
Left-hander Cole Ragans, Texas’ high decide in 2016, was the beginning pitcher for the sequence opener towards the Chicago White Sox. Since being chosen, Ragans has had Tommy John surgical procedure twice. Bubba Thompson, chosen by the Rangers within the first spherical in 2017, was known as up from Triple-A, and was within the lineup batting ninth and enjoying left area. Thompson was hitting .303 with 13 homers, 48 RBIs and 49 stolen bases in 80 video games at Spherical Rock.
It was the primary time since 1986 that two former first-round picks drafted by the identical membership made their MLB debuts in the identical sport. First baseman Will Clark and second baseman Robby Thompson debuted collectively for the San Francisco Giants at Houston on April 8, 1986.
Rocker, a right-handed pitcher, was drafted once more final month one yr after the New York Mets had considerations over a bodily and didn’t signal the tenth general decide. He was the one first-round decide within the 2021 draft that went unsigned and after an August deadline, Rocker’s agent, Scott Boras, mentioned Rocker had a “non-pitching-related minor surgical procedure” on his proper arm.
Boras nonetheless didn’t get into the specifics of that process Thursday, however mentioned it turned out to be a approach of answering any type of questions any workforce would have whereas additionally offering some readability for Rocker.
“I feel the purpose of it’s, Kumar didn’t have a pitching-necessary scope,” Boras mentioned. “No doctor instructed us he wanted one thing. It was actually simply an analysis of what was there. I’m definitely glad we did it as a result of it revealed every thing that we hoped for, that he was pitching succesful, and that he has a really wholesome outlook.“
The Rangers don’t have any questions in regards to the well being of Rocker’s arm. The plan to play him in Arizona this fall, as a substitute of going to a minor league workforce for the remainder of the summer time, is what the Rangers are doing with all of their draft picks.
“With our primary draft class this yr, we’re taking this process. I feel that educational league is a particularly reasonable expectation,“ Rangers basic supervisor Chris Younger mentioned. “The 2023 season is crucial transferring ahead. And that’s what we’re geared in direction of by way of getting all of our gamers prepared.”
Texas had scouted Rocker via highschool, his time at Vanderbilt College after which earlier this summer time. With the Tri-Metropolis ValleyCats within the unbiased Frontier League, he was 1-0 and had a 1.35 ERA in 5 begins with 32 strikeouts and 4 walks over 20 innings.
The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Rocker was 28-10 with a 2.89 ERA over 42 video games from 2019-21 at Vanderbilt, the place he was teammates with right-hander Jack Leiter. The Rangers drafted Leiter with the second general decide final summer time, and he’s pitching at Double-A Frisco.
Leiter additionally didn’t pitch within the minors final summer time, or in Arizona within the fall. He went via the organizational draftee orientation final August on the membership’s complicated in Shock, Arizona. Rocker spent the autumn in Nashville, understanding on the Vanderbilt baseball services whereas taking courses as he works to complete his diploma.
Rocker mentioned Leiter has been an unimaginable useful resource with nothing however good issues to say in regards to the Rangers group.
When requested if there was extra strain being the third general decide or what he went via final yr, Rocker responded, “Undoubtedly the second factor. … All of the strain is gone proper. Joyful to be No. 3 and glad to maneuver ahead too.”
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