Vanderbilt posts tribute video to Kumar Rocker after former pitcher officially signs with Texas Rangers

Kumar Rocker has had an interesting path to the professional level since last pitching for the Vanderbilt Commodores.

In 2021, Rocker was initially drafted by the New York Mets with the 10th overall pick in the MLB Draft, but the Mets ultimately did not sign him due to concerns about a past elbow injury. He had the option to return to school as a result, but ultimately signed with the Frontier League after recovering from a shoulder procedure, where he impressed.

That led to 2022, and Rocker entering the draft once more, this time being taken 3rd overall by the Texas Rangers and signing a $5.2 million contract with the organization on Thursday.

On Monday, days after inking his deal, the Vanderbilt baseball Twitter account posted a brief snapshot of his past few days, spanning from him officially signing his contract and being introduced to the media. You can take a look at the video below:

Officially official. ✍️@KumarRocker ✖️ @Rangers #StraightUpTX | #VandyBoys pic.twitter.com/dJzY9NPbM9

— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBoys) August 8, 2022

Rocker posted a 28-10 record with the VandyBoys from 2019-2021, posting a 3.35 ERA and 321 strikeouts across 236.2 innings pitched. His 14 victories and 179 strikeouts in 2021 were tops in the country, while he was named the College World Series Most Outstanding Player in 2019 after leading the Commodores to a 2nd national championship.

Sydney Hunte

Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.