Kumar Rocker was the surprise of the night early on in the MLB Draft on Sunday, as the Texas Rangers drafted him No. 3 overall.

Rocker was among the most intriguing stories of the draft as medical concerns reportedly played a factor in him not signing with the New York Mets last year after they chose him No. 10 overall last summer. Rocker recently played for the Frontier League’s Tri-City Valleycats, an independent league team. Interestingly, Rocker joins former Vanderbilt teammate Jack Leiter in the Rangers’ organization. Rocker reportedly had minor shoulder surgery and has returned to top form since the procedure.

Rocker at Vanderbilt was one of the stars of college baseball, including being named a first-team All-SEC and All-American, Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy finalist and College World Series Most Outstanding Player. Some of his highlights included winning his first 7 decisions of the 2021 season. In his first SEC start of the season, Rocker posted a season-high 14 strikeouts over 8.0 innings against South Carolina. Rocker had a complete game in the regular season against then-No. 4 and eventual College World Series champion Mississippi State.

ESPN reported last year that there was a deal in place for Rocker to sign for more than $6 million but the Mets but the deal “fell apart” after Rocker’s physical exam.