Kumar Rocker Being a Top-3 Pick Actually Helped the Mets

The New York Mets seemingly bolstered their pitching staff with the addition of Vanderbilt's Kumar Rocker in the 2021 MLB Draft. That was until problems with his physical led to no deal being signed. The Texas Rangers then shocked the rest of sport by taking Rocker third overall on Sunday night.

New York Mets News

The entire situation reeks of the Mets making a mistake right off the bat. However, this was a move that actually helped the team. Tommy Tanous is the Vice President of Amateur and International scouting for the Mets. He explained that Rocker going ahead of his expected spot was beneficial.

"The one big thing that helped us with Kumar going so early is it pushed players to us who might not have gotten there."

- Tommy Tanous on Kumar Rocker

The Mets ended up selecting catcher Kevin Parada, a player that was widely expected to be taken within the top five, at No. 11 overall. He was drafted with the pick New York received for not signing Rocker. The Mets are now deep at the catching position with Parada and Francisco Alvarez.

Parada comes from a long line of Georgia Tech backstops that includes Jason Varitek and Joey Bart. The 20-year-old dominated in 2021 by slashing .361/.453/.709 to go along with 79 runs scored, 26 home runs and 88 RBI in 60 games. Parada's efforts earned him first-team All-American honors.

Meanwhile, Rocker now rejoins college teammate Jack Leiter in the Rangers' farm system. The hard throwing right-hander pitched for the Independent Frontier League Tri-City ValleyCats last fall and posted a 1.35 ERA in five starts. He has since undergone shoulder surgery, but is fully healthy again.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.