The New York Mets get their man in the 2021 MLB Draft as they take Kumar Rocker with the 10th overall pick. Rocker was the projected number one pick heading into this year’s college season. Inconsistent fastball velocity and Jack Leiter’s emergence forced him to slide to the Mets’ pick.
.@KumarRocker is a Met. ?#MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/V7VvrTdyKB
— MLB (@MLB) July 12, 2021
Rocker is 21-years old and is 6’5″ and 245 pounds, and was a dominant force during his time at Vanderbilt. Despite falling to ten in the draft, Rocker is still one of the top prospects not just in the Mets organization but in all of baseball. In his final season at Vandy, Rocker went 14-4 in 122 innings with 179 strikeouts and a .170 batting average against. His 2.73 ERA usually keeps a potential #1 pick in the draft, but nine other teams felt differently.
Rocker features a fastball sitting anywhere from 92-97 with a power slider that he can manipulate to move in different directions. His fastball velocity was a major question due to some starts varying from the low to mid-90s but working in the Mets organization will maximize his potential. Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and the rest of their staff have done a terrific job with their pitching this year and potentially being in the same locker room as Jacob deGrom will do plenty to help him.
Before Rocker even throws a pitch for the Mets, this seems like the steal of the draft. Rocker is loaded with potential, has glowing reviews as a teammate, and is a terrific worker. Adding him is the beginning to revamping a weakened Mets farm system and finding sustained future success.