Watch Your Head
This video of top-overall draft prospect Kumar Rocker nearly getting decapitated by a comebacker is nightmare fuel for MLB execs
If you’ve yet to be introduced, Vanderbilt ace Kumar Rocker is a specimen, a stud— the kind of pitcher they would make in the lab if labs were where pitchers were made. He’s 6’ 5” 250 lbs—Aroldis Chapman size, minus all the icky Aroldis Chapman stuff. He’s got upper-90s velocity on his fastball with 18.2 inches of vertical break over the plate. His slider? Well, just have a look see.
Borderline unhittable.
So what does all this mean? It means that when Pittsburgh Pirates are on the clock on July 11th, Rocker—who, not for nothing, has one of the greatest gunslinger names of all time—will be the heavy favorite to land at PNC Park. In fact, the only thing that can seemingly derail his Steel City destiny is a freak injury, which, much to the terror of baseball execs everywhere, nearly came to pass on Thursday night.
What could have been a disastrous moment for Rocker, however, turned into another feather in his cap, flashing his raw athleticism for all the dry-heaving scouts to see. Not only can this kid sit ‘em down in order, he can also field his position when he doesn’t. That counts for something in the majors, where guys are going to make contact no matter how good you are.
So all’s well that ends well. Rocker got to keep his head and MLB GMs got to cling to their glowing flamethrower of hope. Vanderbilt even got the win. A great night all round for everyone involved, even we are still feeling a little queasy . . .