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Rangers select Kumar Rocker No. 3 overall in 2022 MLB Draft

Rocker moves up seven salary slots in the 2022 draft. The Mets didn’t sign the Vanderbilt starter in last year’s draft.

By Chinmay Vaidya
2021 NCAA Division I Men’s Baseball Championship
Starting pitcher Kumar Rocker of the Vanderbilt reacts to being pulled from the game against Mississippi St. by Head Coach Tim Corbin of the Vanderbilt in the top of the fifth inning during game three of the College World Series Championship at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha on June 30, 2021 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

The Texas Rangers have pulled the shocking move of the 2022 MLB Draft, selecting pitcher Kumar Rocker with the No. 3 overall pick. Rocker was not listed among odds to be selected No. 1, so he might not have been viewed favorably as a prospect in general. Last year’s draft might be a big reason why.

Rocker was selected by the New York Mets with the No. 10 pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, but the team refused to sign him after Rocker failed to provide his medical information. The Mets got a 2022 compensatory pick in refusing to sign Rocker, although his agent Scott Boras said the pitcher had no medical issues. Rocker signed with the Tri-City ValleyCats in the Frontier League last season and now gets to go in the Rangers system.

This ultimately worked out well for Rocker, who moves up seven salary slots and likely gets to the big leagues faster.

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