{"id":47458,"date":"2021-05-30T23:22:49","date_gmt":"2021-05-31T03:22:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=47458"},"modified":"2025-09-16T11:13:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T15:13:47","slug":"kumar-rocker-2021-draft-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2021\/05\/30\/kumar-rocker-2021-draft-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"Kumar Rocker 2021 Draft Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kumar Rocker<\/strong> Draft Profile<\/h2>\n

In 2019, a freshman right-hander from Vanderbilt University made history by throwing the first-ever no-hitter in an NCAA Super Regional. On that day, he also fanned 19 Duke Blue Devils. He went on to win two games in the College World Series, helping the Commodores win their second national championship. Scouts raved about him, saying that if he were draft-eligible, he\u2019d be the Number One overall pick in the MLB Draft. Since then, his predicted spot has dropped to six, but he\u2019s still pegged as a sure thing. His name? Kumar Rocker, son of retired NFL defensive lineman Tracy Rocker.<\/p>\n

Strengths<\/h3>\n

Kumar Rocker has an overpowering mid-to-high-90s fastball that he can throw three ways. It can come in flat but can also run or sink. The heater has been clocked as high as 99 but usually hangs in the mid-90s. As a secondary pitch, he throws a nasty mid-80s slider with sharp break. It is rated plus-plus when at its sharpest. All 19 of his strikeouts in the no-no came with this filthy pitch. He throws a low-80s curveball as his tertiary pitch. Its break is vertical.<\/p>\n

Weaknesses<\/h3>\n

Kumar Rocker needs to work on his command, first and foremost. The other concern, according to MLB.com\u2019s draft prediction<\/a>, is his changeup. Rocker doesn\u2019t use it much and it doesn\u2019t have much downward break. The prediction also says that his \u201cfinesse\u201d needs to improve in order for him to survive on days where he \u201cdoesn\u2019t have his top-notch stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

College Stats<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In his three years at Vanderbilt, Rocker has a 28\u201310 record with a 2.89 ERA across 42 games (39 starts). He has 321 strikeouts, 68 walks, and a 1.001 WHIP in 236 2\/3 innings.\u00a0 In his junior year (2021), he went 14\u20134 with a 2.73 ERA in 20 games (all starts), with 179 strikeouts, 39 walks, and a 0.934 WHIP across 122 innings.<\/p>\n

MLB Comparison<\/h3>\n

Kumar Rocker is a big man, which is to be expected from the son of an NFL lineman. He is 6\u20194\u201d, 255 lbs \u2014 the size of left-hander Madison Bumgarner. His pitch arsenal is the same as that of Kerry Wood when he entered the league with the Chicago Cubs<\/a> in 1998. Obviously, we all hope that he doesn\u2019t develop the arm trouble that plagued Wood. If Rocker continues his development track and gets better with his command, he should be a starting rotation mainstay for several years.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>