ARLINGTON, Texas — The
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Texas drafted Rocker with the third pick in 2022, the second draft in a row that he was a top 10 pick. He struck out 42 batters over 28 innings in six starts for Class-A Hickory and close to a promotion in 2023 before surgery, and will make his big league debut just under 16 months after that.
Texas drafted Rocker a year after concerns over a physical led to the former Vanderbilt standout going unsigned by the New York Mets as the 10th overall pick. The Rangers have said his elbow surgery resulted from an injury sustained while pitching for them at Hickory.
Rocker was 28-10 with a 2.89 ERA over 42 games from 2019-21 at Vanderbilt, where he was teammates with right-hander Jack Leiter. The Rangers drafted Leiter with the second overall pick in 2021, and he made his big league debut this season — and is now part of the Rangers rotation.
