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Miami Marlins Draft Prospect: Pitcher Kumar Rocker

By Hector Lozada

ALEXANDRIA, VA - JUNE 19: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Image was created as an Equirectangular Panorama. Import image into a panoramic player to create an interactive 360 degree view.) This 360 degree picture was photographed from behind home plate near the position where gunman James Hodgkinson opened fire at the Eugene Simpson Stadium Park, seriously wounding House Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise, June 19, 2017 in Alexandria, Virginia. Investigators have concluded their investigation at the shooting scene and the area has been reopened to the public. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
ALEXANDRIA, VA - JUNE 19: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Image was created as an Equirectangular Panorama. Import image into a panoramic player to create an interactive 360 degree view.) This 360 degree picture was photographed from behind home plate near the position where gunman James Hodgkinson opened fire at the Eugene Simpson Stadium Park, seriously wounding House Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise, June 19, 2017 in Alexandria, Virginia. Investigators have concluded their investigation at the shooting scene and the area has been reopened to the public. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) /
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The son of former Washington Redskins defensive lineman, Tracy Rocker, Kumar Rocker has taken his own path to the baseball diamond. Once rated as the top prep arm in the class, Rocker is now projected to go in the middle of the first round.

RHP Kumar Rocker

Weight: 250

Age: 18

School: North Oconee (Ga.) High School

Commitment: Vanderbilt

Kumar Rocker stands out on a baseball field. His 6’5″/250 build is that of a defensive lineman, it is not necessarily the common build for a pitcher. Yet on the mound, Rocker uses his size and strength to his advantage. The Miami Marlins may be a perfect fit.

Rocker shows the ability to run the fastball up near 98 MPH with a smooth, repeatable delivery.

Rocker has long been on scouting radars with fellow Georgia native and Vanderbilt commit, Ethan Hankins. Both feature electric fastballs and have each made a push for being the top prep pitcher in the class.

This spring, Rocker outperformed Hankins on the mound who was dealing with shoulder tightness that limited him. Unfortunately, both seem to have been passed up with late surges by Carter Stewart and Matthew Liberatore.

Both Baseball America and FanGraphs have Rocker falling to the mid-30s in their latest mock drafts. This slide can be attributed to signability questions due to his Vanderbilt commitment, high bonus demands and failure to perform at the top of his game around high-level decision makers.

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