September 23, 2024

Where will Vanderbilt baseball’s Kumar Rocker, Jack Leiter go in MLB Draft? What ESPN says

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Where will Vanderbilt baseball’s Kumar Rocker, Jack Leiter go in MLB Draft? What ESPN says

ESPN’s latest mock draft projects Vanderbilt aces Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter to be the first two pitchers taken in the 2021 MLB Draft.

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While Vanderbilt aces Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker prepare for the College World Series in Omaha, MLB teams are preparing for the possibility of seeing one of the two pitchers in their team’s uniforms.

The Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals to be more precise, according to ESPN. MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel released a first-round mock draft Friday and the  Commodores were the first two pitchers off the board.

Leiter, who is 12-3 with a nation-leading 156 strikeouts, is projected fourth overall by the Red Sox, and Rocker is projected to be taken seventh overall by the Royals. 

They have been a dynamic combo for Vanderbilt this season, combining for 23 wins and over 300 strikeouts while posting a sub-2.50 ERA. Rocker will take the mound Saturday against Arizona in Vanderbilt’s first game of the College World Series. The junior holds a 7-1 all-time record in the postseason.

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The two aces weren’t the only players with ties to Vanderbilt in the top seven. Texas Jesuit High School shortstop Jordan Lawlar, a Vanderbilt commitment, was projected at sixth to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

It’s unknown whether Lawlar would sign with an MLB team or stick with his commitment to Vandy.

The MLB Draft is July 11-13. 

Victor Prieto is a sports reporting intern at the Tennessean. Contact him at vprieto@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @victorprieto_11.

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