Rangers welcome Rocker as 2 past top picks debut

ARLINGTON, Texas — Kumar Rocker will spend a number of extra days across the Texas Rangers earlier than going to Arizona, the place he’s anticipated to make his organizational debut within the fall tutorial league.

Rocker, the No. 3 general decide in final month’s draft, was formally launched by the Rangers on Thursday, greater than every week after signing a contract with a $5.2 million bonus.

“Getting by means of this course of is the beginning line,” Rocker stated. “So, pitching on the market, getting free and being myself, it is an awesome step in the proper course.”

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’ prime decide in 2016, was the beginning pitcher for the collection opener in opposition to 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 subject. 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 recreation. First baseman Will Clark and second baseman Robby Thompson made their debuts collectively for the San Francisco Giants at Houston on April 8, 1986.

Rocker, a right-handed pitcher, was drafted once more final month one 12 months after the New York Mets had issues over a bodily and did not signal him after choosing him with the tenth general decide. Rocker was the one first-round decide within the 2021 draft who went unsigned. After an August deadline, Rocker’s agent, Scott Boras, stated Rocker had a “non-pitching-related minor surgical procedure” on his proper arm.

Boras nonetheless did not get into the specifics of that process Thursday, however stated it turned out to be a means of answering any form of questions any workforce would have whereas additionally offering some readability for Rocker.

“I feel the purpose of it’s, Kumar did not have a pitching-necessary scope,” Boras stated. “No doctor advised us he wanted one thing. It was actually simply an analysis of what was there. I am actually 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 concerning 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 season, is what the Rangers are doing with all of their draft picks.

“With our foremost draft class this 12 months, we’re taking this process. I feel that tutorial league is a very reasonable expectation,” Rangers basic supervisor Chris Younger stated. “The 2023 season is a very powerful shifting ahead. And that is what we’re geared in direction of when it comes to getting all of our gamers prepared.”

Texas had scouted Rocker by means of highschool, his time at Vanderbilt College after which earlier this summer season. 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 season, and he’s pitching at Double-A Frisco.

Leiter additionally did not pitch within the minors final summer season, or in Arizona within the fall. He went by means of 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 amenities whereas taking courses as he works to complete his diploma.

Rocker stated Leiter has been an unbelievable useful resource with nothing however good issues to say concerning the Rangers group.

When requested if there was extra stress being the third general decide or what he went by means of final 12 months, Rocker responded, “Positively the second factor. … All of the stress is gone proper. Blissful to be No. 3 and completely happy to maneuver ahead too.”