NASHVILLE, Tenn. β Vanderbilt standout Kumar Rocker was selected 10th overall in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Mets on Sunday night.
The Rock is headed to NY. πͺ¨#VandyBoys | #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/rOGtFVEJyF
— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBoys) July 12, 2021
Rocker is the 12th top-10 overall pick in the Tim Corbin era (2003-present), a mark that is more than every other program in the SEC East combined. He is the 123rd Commodore selected and 19th first-round selection in that timeframe.
We got a π°πΈπΈπ one! Welcome to the big apple @KumarRocker! #LGM ππͺ pic.twitter.com/qYBmXtSqqH
— New York Mets (@Mets) July 12, 2021
Rocker becomes the third Commodore to be drafted by the New York Mets and the first since 1987 when the club selected David Joiner.
At Vanderbilt, the junior experienced tremendous success over his three seasons, becoming one of the most prominent pitchers in all of college baseball. Rocker wrapped up his sophomore season by being tabbed as an unanimous first team All-American, while being selected as a finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and Golden Spikes Award.
Rocker posted a 14-4 record on the mound this season, including a 3-1 in the NCAA Tournament. The junior right-hander notched 179 strikeouts on the campaign, becoming just the second player since 1988 to lead the nation in both strikeouts and wins in the same season.
The former National Freshman of the Year and Most Outstanding Player of the 2019 College World Series, Rocker has tallied 321 career strikeouts over his three years, good for fourth all-time in Vanderbilt history. His 179 strikeouts in 2021 tie him for the second-most in a single-season with teammate Jack Leiter.
