Could the Boston Red Sox gamble on a well-known, high-upside pitcher with their first-round pick in the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft?
The Athletic’s Keith Law released a new mock draft Monday, six days before the start of the MLB draft, and projected the Red Sox to land right-hander Kumar Rocker with the No. 24 overall selection.
There was a time not long ago when Rocker was arguably the most popular player in college baseball and among those mentioned with regards to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. The Vanderbilt product ultimately was selected 10th overall by the Mets last year, but then wasn’t offered a contract after New York discovered something it didn’t like in Rocker’s post-draft physical.
Rocker since has pitched for the Tri-City ValleyCats of the independent Frontier League, and he’ll reenter the MLB draft this Sunday as one of the most intriguing prospects available. There’d obviously be some risk associated with picking Rocker in Round 1, but the 22-year-old had a decorated college career and comes with a tantalizing ceiling.
Here’s what Law wrote about Kumar Rocker:
Rocker left Vanderbilt to pitch for the independent Tri-City ValleyCats in upstate New York, where he was 95-98 in his first outing with two above-average breaking balls and an adequate changeup, showing a lower arm slot than he had last year. Rocker has shown a plus-plus slider at times in the past, and there’s no reason to think his fastball is back but his slider isn’t. He has always had better control than command, and while he’s shown incredible competitiveness in some games — like the no-hitter he threw in 2019, when he was pushed to 131 pitches — he’s also had outings where he seemed to struggle to adjust mid-game. He has No. 2 starter upside, if healthy, but the risk associated with his medicals may make him a better bet for some team’s second pick.
Law also noted the Red Sox were serious about Rocker leading up to the 2021 MLB Draft — before choosing shortstop Marcelo Mayer with the No. 4 overall pick — and were “heavy” on him once he started pitching for Tri-City in June. So, perhaps it’s not outside the realm of possibility that chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and company will roll the dice in the back half of Round 1.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel last week ranked Rocker as the No. 54 prospect in the 2022 MLB Draft, noting the former Vandy star is back up to 98 mph after reportedly undergoing shoulder surgery last September but could end up as a reliever upon reaching the majors.
“I think there’s interest in the 10 to 20 range. I think the hot spot is like 20 to 35, and he’ll probably go somewhere before pick 40 or 50,” McDaniel said in a video posted to ESPN.com.
