There were lots of surprises around Vanderbilt's Sunday night in the MLB Draft--some pleasant, some otherwise.
Former Vanderbilt pitcher Kumar Rocker went third overall to the Texas Rangers, allowing the former College World Series MVP a little redemption after last season's draft fiasco. However, Tim Corbin.also had five recruits taken, including two many thought could get to the Commodores because of high price tags.
Rght fielder Spencer Jones and commitments Druw Jones, Brandon Barriera, Dylan Lesko all went in the first round, which was mostly expected.
But Noah Schultz all getting picked in round one, and commitment Sal Stewart going in the compensation round following the first round, weren't necessarily anticipated given baed on perceived signing bonus demands. However, both recruits were considered top-100 prospects for the draft, so neither were shocks, either.
The biggest stunner of the night was Rocker—taken 10th overall by the Mets last year before he wasn’t offered a contract—going with the third pick overall to Texas. Rocker sat out the 2022 college season, instead opting for a handful of starts for the Tri-City Valley Cats of the independent Frontier League.
Rocker was projected anywhere from the teens to the second round. He was considered a first-round prospect out of high school, and was drafted in Round 39 by Colorado in 2018 before coming to college instead.
Rocker was the MVP of the 2019 College World Series, going 28-10 with 321 strikeouts and a 2.89 ERA in 236 2/3 career innings. He'll join former Vanderbilt star Jack Leiter--a Rangers' first-rounder--in the Texas system.
Spencer Jones went to the Yankees at 25th overall. That wasn't a surprise, given how Jones hit this year and the fact many had projected him to New York, where his left-handed power plays well at Yankee Stadium.
He had a breakout season as a junior, hitting .370/.460/.643, pacing Vanderbilt in on-base percentage and tying for the team lead with 85 hits. Jones hit 12 home runs, drove in 60 runs and stole 14 bases in 15 tries.
That was the good news for Vanderbilt. The rest of the first round wasn't so good as Schultz and Stewart, while top talents, were thought to be tough signs.
Schultz--a 6-foot-9 left-handed pitcher--went to the Chicago White Sox at No. 26 overall. Schultz, who's drawn some comparisons to Randy Johnson due to his size and stuff, is from the Chicago area.
Stewart went 32nd overall after being ranked just outside the top 60 by most experts. Stewart was on campus at Vanderbilt this summer taking classes and was thought to be a strong candidate to start at third base.
The other three commitments were expected to go in the first round and be tough gets for the Commodores to get to campus.
One pick before Rocker, Druw Jones—considered by some as the top high-schooler in the country—went to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He's the son of former Atlanta Braves All-Star outfielder Andruw Jones.
Lesko, who had arm surgery in April, went to the Padres at 15. That pick comes with a slot value of $4.08 million.
Barriera, who skipped his high school playoffs to prepare for the draft, went 23rd overall to Toronto. Slot value for that pick is $3.08 million.
Catcher Dominic Keegan should hear his name called on Monday. He could be joined by several recruits, including outfielder Ryan Clifford and right-hander Karson Milbrandt.
