Tri-city adds star Rocker
Former Mets 1st-round pick expected to stay until draft in mid-july
They’re no longer affiliated with Major League Baseball, but the Tri-city Valleycats still know how to bring in a firstround draft pick.
The Valleycats announced Friday they’ve agreed to terms with pitcher Kumar Rocker, the New York Mets’ first-rounder (10th overall pick) a year ago who didn’t sign with the Mets because of New York’s concerns about the health of his pitching elbow.
Rocker, a 6-foot-5, 245-pound right-hander from Athens, Ga., will remain with Tri-city of the independent Frontier League until he goes back into the MLB draft from July 17 to 19.
Tri-city general manager Matt Callahan said Rocker is expected to join the team next week. The Valleycats are home from Tuesday through May 22. Rocker will probably make his first start in early June at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, according to Callahan.
Scott Boras, Rocker’s agent, said in a phone interview he didn’t want to commit to when Rocker will begin, “but certainly somewhere in that time frame.”
“Obviously, our goal is to get in a number of starts before the draft and have him compete and get acclimated back into performance in games,” Boras said.
Efforts to reach Rocker were unsuccessful.
Callahan said the Valleycats don’t comment on player salaries. He added Tri-city had to fit Rocker under the Frontier League salary cap of $120,000 for the entire roster.
Boras said Valleycats manager Pete Incaviglia was a major factor in Rocker choosing Tri-city.
“We wanted a professional environment that allowed him the best competition that he can throw against,” Boras added.
Rocker, 22, went 28-10 with a 2.89 ERA in 42 appearances, including 39 starts over three seasons at Vanderbilt University, including a 19-strikeout no-hitter in the 2019 NCAA Super Regional against Duke. Rocker won Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series that year as Vanderbilt captured the national title.
The Mets drafted Rocker last year, but reportedly had concerns about his elbow after a physical. The Mets wanted him to sign for less than their reported agreement of $6 million. The July 31 deadline passed without an agreement.
“There’s never been anything wrong with that elbow,” Boras said. “It’s been misreported. He’s never had any elbow issues. When you take physicals and doctors look at MRIS, I have the foremost medical doctors and orthopedic surgeons in America review all of Kumar’s MRIS. They all passed them. But it’s a team’s right to have your own opinion and we are fully aware he’s healthy. There’s no issue with him.”
Rocker hasn’t pitched competitively since the 2021 season with Vanderbilt.
Boras said Rocker has been working on conditioning and throwing bullpen sessions at Boras’ sports fitness and training institute.
Rocker was not projected as a first-round pick in an mlb.com mock draft two days ago.
The addition is obviously a significant one for the Valleycats as they try to draw fans to Joseph L. Bruno Stadium. They’ve had first-round picks come in who were drafted by the Houston Astros when the Valleycats were a Houston affiliate from 2002 to 2019. But this is a different circumstance with no team holding Rocker’s rights at the moment.
“Obviously, a player of Kumar’s talent is going to help us win games with his abilities and his pitching,” Callahan said. “And the excitement that it creates for our fan base, for our players, the attention it brings to the organization, I think it’s outstanding. It’s going to bring a lot of scouts to the ballpark and that’s beneficial for our existing players, for them to get more looks. So it’s great on all levels.”