Kumar Rocker Finally Reaches Big Leagues: Failed Physical Aftermath

Intro you never give them information like that that's why NFL guys don't go to the Kumar Rocker Gets the Call combine Kumar rocker is going to make his MLB debut starting for the Texas Rangers on Thursday Rangers are playing good ball it's just too little too late for them but AJ have you followed this guy's career feel like you have right for a while going back to his Vanderbilt days when he was a star watch him pitching Vandy I watch some Pitch of Vandy in person um yeah listen this kid has always had ability than he had the weird draft thing where the Mets I think drafted him right and he didn't sign because he had an arm issue and then he went to Independent League and then the Rangers drafted him and then he had Tommy John he was out for a year but now he's back he's throwing 100 miles an hour I was in Texas he was throwing he was throwing a live hitters with it was him Molly deg Grom all of them were out there throwing at the same time so this kid's got electric stuff he's got a chance to be great but you know what's funny is we said the same thing about lighter Jack lighter and he hasn't done anything at the major league level so we'll see how it goes but this is another step for the Rangers for getting all their injured guys back with deg Gro possibly being back soon Molly Sherer all these guys slowly but surely coming back yes is it too little too late for this year yes but going into 25 they have to be a little bit excited it was the number three overall pick back in 2022 which was a shocker because people didn't know where he was going to go in that draft because yeah in 2021 he goes 10 overall to the Mets okay and originally he agreed to a six Mill million doll signing bonus with them the Mets ended up pulling it because of Medicals and they ended up offering nothing right they were like yo we don't think that you're going to pass our Medicals and we don't really want you anymore we'll take the pick next year so the Mets get the 11th pick in 20122 he does end up getting shoulder surgery in 2021 plays some indie League ball and then um gets the surprise number three overall pick I remember working as a part of that draft and I mean most people thought he was going to go deep into round one if not later than that right and his bonus was higher he gets a bonus I guess in the same range low fives in terms of what he got paid then he gets Tommy John surgery last year and now he comes back this season second half of the Year dominating in the minor leagues and he gets the call up so the stuff's been there Katz it's just keeping the arm healthy and there this is where teams are going to point to a situation like his and say hey we do know some things about injury prevention and looking at an arm and saying hey we don't trust this to last and it worked at least initially right where they said hey this is a problem but now he's back and gets to prove to the world that he's got that all out of the way he's already battle tested he's hasn't even had a game in the big leagues yet he's a twice F A twice over first rounder it seems like he's already battle tested but to me like what did the Mets see that's what's always intrigued me about this whole thing what did the Mets see that the Rangers didn't see and not only did they not see it they went seven picks or eight picks seven picks earlier than the year before I'm I'm just I'm confused by that what the Mets saw and if this guy needs any motivation which I don't think he does watching him pitch for vanderbild I think he threw a no hitter or perfect game in the Super Regionals or in the College World Series whatever it was this dude was already dominant now he's got his velocity back he able to get a few Big League innings in and it will bump up his innings for the year he just seems like he just seems like he's one of those gems that's not really a Hidden Gem because we knew about him but like now he's resurfaced so it's like it's a prize that they lost and now they found again and oh yeah they have Mali they have they have deg Grom coming back they have some legit arms out there in Texas my question is didn't the do didn't they do a physical or didn't they get his Medicals before they drafted him 10th overall like it just seems like it's unbelievable that all these teams have all this stuff on guys now and you get to 10th overall and you're like we'll take Kumar rocker and oh by the way now after we've drafted you I I did you not get I thought you got Medicals before the draft don't you get Medicals before the draft I don't think you have to AJ I gotta look back I remember reading a lot on the story so don't directly quote me on this but I think that they get the Medicals like once you get the player before you sign a player you definitely get the Medicals and the public is not privy to the Medicals okay but I I think that might have been a case where you know and Rockers is Scott Boris client they're like hey we're not giving you much information like you pick you do what you want now that he's picked you get to look at the Medicals then they look at the Medicals and say not for us we see too many issues here I think okay okay go ahead AJ no I just feel like that's got to that should at some point that might have to change no there was a lot of debate about this back in the day me you're shaking your head no but if I'm a team and I'm gonna draft the pitcher I want the Medicals right I mean listen as a player I'm like I ain't showing you my Medicals my arm hurts right but as a team you think like man we wasted a pick you know what they got out of that 11th overall pick the next year do you guys know who the Mets got instead of Kumar rocker was it PDA PDA he's hting 208 in doua this year yeah I mean it's catcher taking some time to develop I get it but yeah they got a catcher don't they they got some guys in the Mets organization that's pretty good A catcher last I checked had a catcher that was decent Alvarez alz is great but this could be the guy that's that's you know the one-third of the starts in the future or something like that but no I get what you're saying I mean for them clearly they liked the player enough but I don't think they had the information again you know so why what do you think Kat you don't think that player should have to share anything until they get picked zero get super busy and getting back on Anytime Fitness a good fall workout routine needs to be easy for me with Anytime Fitness being available anytime anywhere they make it easy to work on getting stronger and more confident into my schedule Katz's spot on it's got to be easy to make that routine happen and that's why we love Anytime Fitness with access to 5,000 plus welle equipped gyms open 247 and this is not your average gym experience they also provide personalized coaching support that provides members the best training nutrition and Recovery guidance which includes the Anytime Fitness app that generates personalized workout plans and tracks Your Daily Progress get after it FTF to claim your free Anytime Fitness trial pass visit anytimefitness.com and get yours today we'll also drop that link in the description of this episode check out more info and claim that free trial pass at Any Time Fitness and I would but then Pre-draft Injury Disclosure? once they get picked they have to understand they might not get the bonus because if the team looks at the Medicals they could cross that off and doesn't happen often either this is where it doesn't happen often no but this is where the CBA needs to protect these guys everybody has something wrong internally when you play baseball your arm hurts for a reason your shoulder hurts for a reason you gut through it if somebody says hey I'm going to give you $5 million I need to take a picture of your elbow and your shoulder be likewell do you want to pay me $5 million or do you want to take a picture like my opinion is you should never give that information up I did the MLB combine in 21 the first one and we had a closed door meeting with the players and Christian Moore was on that team and I remember telling the guys I was like listen they're going to want so much information out of you just know that one day each one of you guys has a shot at being a big Leaguer and the less information about things they don't need to know about the better because don't they don't need to know this I I get it teams want to know teams want to make investments but how bad do you want this player okay but then he gets picked and then his whole life gets turned upside down because the Mets if they saw this earlier would have take would have not taken him and maybe some other team would have taken him you know what I'm saying okay so then let another team take if there's a fear of injury don't take them yeah but they didn't know anything so they pick him then they look then they say this does not pass our test and now he can't get picked again until a year later so you're saying you're saying he should have just given him given everybody the information and completely ruined his draft stock but would did have ruined his draft stock because he has the same arm the next year and the Rangers take him three overall so my thought process is maybe the Mets didn't want him at 10 but maybe some other team would have taken him at 12 and then he would have been in a system and started his career early and also yeah if you needed to get surgery at some point then you get it under the control of a Major League team you never give them information like that that's why NFL guys don't go to the combine you've seen enough film of me you've seen me throw if I'm Kumar rocker you saw me throw my last game in the College World Series and I threw a no hitter if you want that smoke in your organization pick me you don't need to see you don't need to take pictures of my knees are you taking pictures of everybody's knees are you taking 29th Rounders knee knee pictures no you're just letting them go out and play and see what happens all right so then why when you're why when you're a free agent do they get to do it all why why did Carlos kareah have to lose his foot with his foot thing he lost two deals why what at some point you got to give up the information and if you're trying to hide something it sounds it sounds dirty so I I mean did he know he was hurt then that was doing trying to do the Mets Dirty by having them drafted there I just that's what that's my argument against it I understand the Players Association is has told everybody don't give anybody anything we're so scared to death but if there's nothing to hide who cares I used to go into these physicals and be like yeah give me a physical good luck finding something and they' be like okay you're good but if you have something wrong then yeah you got to hide it but if you don't have anything wrong why are you hiding something just saying I mean I went I went in I did not have elbow pain at all for probably from 2004 till 2017 I went in because I couldn't I couldn't straighten I couldn't bend my arm and I couldn't straighten it past there one morning I just woke up had bone chips I was a free agent off seon got the bone chips removed doctor was like yeah successful surgeries like your elbow ever hurt I was like no it hasn't hurt for 13 14 years he goes your UCL is 80% torn if I had been a good player and if I had went to sign for a $10 million you know contract at some point and they were like hey we want to take an MRI of your elbow I'd be like why my elbow never hurts and they took a picture of that and saw 80% torn UCL do I still get that contract yeah but I think the point here is that teams do get Medicals before they actually make a signing so if you're going to get those then you might as well get them before you pick the player so the player doesn't get screwed out of getting picked and then getting you know unsigned buddy be sure to like Outro And subscribe 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