{"id":302011,"date":"2021-07-18T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-18T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/mets-draft-pick-kumar-rocker-built-for-spotlight-hes-a-real-one\/"},"modified":"2021-07-18T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-07-18T12:00:00","slug":"mets-draft-pick-kumar-rocker-built-for-spotlight-hes-a-real-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mets-draft-pick-kumar-rocker-built-for-spotlight-hes-a-real-one\/","title":{"rendered":"#Mets draft pick Kumar Rocker built for spotlight: ‘He\u2019s a real one’"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Mets draft pick Kumar Rocker built for spotlight: ‘He\u2019s a real one’<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n

For years, the spotlight has followed Kumar Rocker.<\/p>\n

It was there as the son of a superstar college football player-turned-coach. It was there as he developed into a top-ranked baseball prospect by the fall of his sophomore year of high school. It only grew more intense once he led Vanderbilt to the 2019 national championship as the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But Rocker handled his celebrity with humility. He didn\u2019t let it go to his head. He has embraced his popularity without letting the pressure get to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been in the spotlight for so long that it\u2019s normal,\u201d Rocker\u2019s close friend and high school teammate, Josh Farmer, said. \u201cIt\u2019s something he\u2019s become accustomed to. It\u2019s something he\u2019s been built for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rocker has a father, Eagles defensive line coach Tracy Rocker, who has experienced all of this himself as a superstar athlete; a loving mother, Lu, who has always been there for her son; and a close-knit and tight support system he can, and has had to, lean on.<\/p>\n

Rocker and Farmer have frequently talked about the coaching clich\u00e9 \u201ccontrolling the controllables.\u201d Not letting the outside get in. Not listening to the critics. Not allowing praise to go to your head.<\/p>\n

\"Vandy\"
Kumar Rocker after throwing a no-hitter against Duke in 2019.<\/figcaption>
AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So it wasn\u2019t a surprise to Farmer when Rocker \u2014 a chiseled righthanded pitcher at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds \u2014 was thrilled when he was picked No. 10-overall by the Mets in this year\u2019s MLB draft. Instead of focusing on his selection being lower than had been projected, Rocker\u2019s mind was on the franchise that was overjoyed to have him, instead of on proving the teams that passed on him wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom now on, it\u2019s what you do after this [that matters],\u201d Rocker said the night of the draft.<\/p>\n

Rocker, 21, arrived at North Oconee High School in Hobart, Ga., as an athletic marvel, bigger and stronger than everyone else. He played both baseball and football his first two years there. It was obvious, though, his future was on the diamond.<\/p>\n

Principal Philip Brown joked that Rocker was the \u201cbest pile-jumper I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d always managing to protect his throwing shoulder. He was a starter on the defensive line and had the body for the sport. He once squatted 490 pounds, and had to be stopped before he added on more weight.<\/p>\n

But by the start of his sophomore year, he was ranked among the top baseball prospects in the country. Part of Brown selling Jay Lasley on taking the job as North Oconee\u2019s baseball coach was showing him a video of Rocker blowing away hitters as a freshman.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Mets draft pick Kumar Rocker pitching for North Oconee High School in Georgia.<\/figcaption>
Jay Lasley<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rocker\u2019s father, a two-time All-American and three-time All-SEC selection as a defensive tackle at Auburn, knew football could ruin his baseball dreams, so he pushed baseball.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you pitch if you have one finger going sideways?\u201d he asked his son once.<\/p>\n

Out of high school, Rocker was offered late first-round money, including a signing bonus in the millions, his agent Scott Boras said. But going to college was his family\u2019s preferred choice. Rocker was able to further develop as a player and person at Vanderbilt, and three years later, he is expected to more than double those previous offers with the sort of hefty signing bonus typically given to a top-five pick.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir decision was the correct one,\u201d Boras said.<\/p>\n

Everyone still marvels at Rocker\u2019s no-hitter against Duke on June 8, 2019. He was a true freshman being tasked with keeping Vanderbilt alive in the NCAA Tournament\u2019s Super Regionals after the Blue Devils had blown out the Commodores, 18-5, a day earlier.<\/p>\n

Rocker hit the second batter of the game<\/a>, Kennie Taylor, with a 97 mph fastball near his left eye. Most pitchers, no matter their age, would be shaken by that. Rocker, though he was concerned for Taylor\u2019s health, was otherwise unfazed. The pressure of the moment wasn\u2019t going to get to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was Kumar,\u201d catcher Phil Clarke said.<\/p>\n

Vanderbilt only mustered three runs, but it didn\u2019t matter. Duke wasn\u2019t going to touch Rocker and that slider. After every inning, Brown and Clarke talked about the previous frame, and Brown remembers the look on his catcher\u2019s face every time he got back into the dugout, an expression that said he had never caught anything quite like this.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had 19 strikeouts and all 19 of them were on the slider, so the Mets should be excited about that pitch,\u201d said Clarke, who is now in the Blue Jays\u2019 minor league system at Single-A Vancouver.<\/p>\n

Rocker later said the only thing on his mind that day was the team, and ensuring it wouldn\u2019t be its last game. He led the Commodores to their fifth national championship a few weeks later. He pitched twice in the College World Series against Michigan, going 2-0 with a 1.48 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 12\u2009\u00b9\/\u2083 innings.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was one of those things that just cements your place in the history of college baseball as one of the greats, especially when you back it up with a first-team All-American season as a junior,\u201d said D1Baseball.com co-editor Aaron Fitt, who considers Rocker in the same class as Stephen Strasburg as far as household names in college baseball over the past 15 years.<\/p>\n

The slider is Rocker\u2019s calling card, a devastating breaking ball that has some curveball action to it. He will use it in a variety of ways. He will get swings-and-misses with it, he\u2019ll get called strikes, he\u2019ll bury it in the dirt, he\u2019ll throw it at different speeds. It will have different breaks on it. He can add depth or horizontal movement.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis understanding of how to not consistently throw the exact same pitch, but to manipulate it some depending on the situation, depending on the hitter, is something you don\u2019t see a lot of kids have the ability to do with that pitch,\u201d ESPN and SEC Network college baseball analyst Kyle Peterson said. \u201cThat\u2019s what has separated him the whole time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lightning in his right arm isn\u2019t even the most impressive thing about Rocker, those close to him say. More impressive are his selfless and thoughtful personality, his even-keeled demeanor and his advanced communication skills. He has a rare ability to move forward without looking too far ahead. Bad performances don\u2019t stick with him. Stellar outings don\u2019t go to his head. He\u2019s the same guy no matter the outcome. His smile doesn\u2019t go away.<\/p>\n

He has a rare ability to move forward without looking too far ahead. Bad performances don\u2019t stick with him. Stellar outings don\u2019t go to his head. He\u2019s the same guy no matter the outcome. His smile doesn\u2019t change.<\/p>\n

Take two games in particular as evidence of that. In his first start at Vanderbilt, Rocker was hit around, lasting just 1\u2009\u00b9\/\u2083 innings against TCU. He was obviously not happ<\/a>y about it. But it didn\u2019t negatively impact him, pitching coach Scott Brown said. Rocker didn\u2019t make excuses. He owned the result and made sure it didn\u2019t happen again.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing from that to the MVP of the College World Series is all you need to know about him.\u201d Clarke said.<\/p>\n

Then there was the 19-strikeout no-hitter against Duke. The following afternoon, Rocker was hitting fungoes to his teammates, trying to energize everyone before the winner-take-all third game of the series.<\/p>\n

It is why Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin has called him the \u201cultimate college teammate,\u201d someone who doesn\u2019t let his own performance impact how he treats others. Lasley saw Rocker\u2019s smile that never went away firsthand for three years. He always said Rocker would get paid to show his teeth one day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my eyes, it\u2019s him and Magic Johnson. You don\u2019t find two dudes with better smiles,\u201d Lasley said. \u201cIf Madison Avenue has a toothbrush or toothpaste commercial, that\u2019s your guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prior to Rocker\u2019s senior season in high school, the hype was high. He was ranked among the top prospects in the country, and every start was expected to be an event, littered with scouts. Rocker sat down with Lasley one day to discuss the upcoming season. But he didn\u2019t want to talk about himself. He wanted to make sure the other seniors on the team had a memorable final year themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need you to make sure this year is about the seniors,\u201d Rocker told Lasley. \u201cThere\u2019s going to be enough attention on me. It\u2019s their senior year. It\u2019s as important to them as it is to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was blown away, to be that self aware about other people\u2019s feelings,\u201d Lasley said.<\/p>\n

\"Mets\"
Mets draft pick Kumar Rocker with his catcher Will Cain in high school.<\/figcaption>
Jay Lasley<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The year before, North Oconee failed to reach the playoffs, which Rocker took extremely hard. After the final game, he broke down in tears as he sat in his car with Farmer. He was so upset he couldn\u2019t do more for his teammates. At that moment, it hit Farmer how much his mega-talented teammate cared. Here he was, with such a bright future, and he was acting like he had played his final game.<\/p>\n

\u201cDang, he\u2019s a real one,\u201d Farmer thought to himself.<\/p>\n

He backed it up with actions. Rocker would frequently stop into Lasley\u2019s office to talk about the plans for practice. He would ask if any players needed a kick in the butt, if they weren\u2019t working hard enough. He made sure everyone arrived on time for practice, and he was always the first guy to congratulate a teammate. Before his final season, catcher Will Cain recalled Rocker gathering everyone together to discuss the extra attention they would be getting. It was important to him that the scouts wouldn\u2019t negatively impact the season. Other teams, he told them, might be in awe of the evaluators. But not them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not going to let external things such as scouts being there affect us,\u201d he said to his teammates.<\/p>\n

On draft night last week, the story was Rocker, why he fell and how fortunate the Mets had gotten. At the start of the spring, Rocker had been expected to be the No. 1 pick. His season, while maybe not quite as dominant as expected, was still strong. He finished tied for the most strikeouts in the country with teammate Jack Leiter. He compiled a 2.73 ERA and led the nation in wins with 14. Though Rocker allowed five runs over 4\u2009\u00b9\/\u2083 innings in the CWS finals against eventual champion Mississippi State, he was previously 3-0 in elimination games with a 0.84 ERA.<\/p>\n