A stunner in Major League Baseball as No. 10 overall pick Kumar Rocker is not signed by the New York Mets by today's deadline, due to agent Scott Boras demands and a post-draft physical that expressed concerns regarding Rocker's pitching arm. The Mets get the No. 11 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft while Rocker has ruled out returning to Vanderbilt for another season. That leaves either playing independent ball playing in Japan or Korea, or simply sit out until next year.
Rocker declined a pre-draft MRI that would had been made available to all 30 teams, that along with the Boras factor allowed Rocker to slide in the draft. Fellow Vanderbilt right-hander Jack Leiter was drafted and signed No. 2 overall by the Texas Rangers for a $7.9 million bonus. As a No. 10 pick Rocker's draft slot called for a slot value of $4.74 million. Mississippi State star hurler Will Bednar was selected No. 14 by the San Francisco Giants. Old Miss's Gunnar Hoglund went No. 19 to the Toronto Blue Jays despite undergoing Tommy John elbow surgery. Rocker is the first top-ten draft pick to go unsigned since the Astros failed to sign No. 1 overall pick Brady Aiken in 2014 over similar arm concerns.