Former Vanderbilt baseball pitcher Kumar Rocker to pitch for indy team ahead of MLB Draft

Former Vanderbilt ace Kumar Rocker will pitch for the Tri-City Valley Cats, an independent team based in Troy, New York, the team announced on Twitter Friday.

After three years with the Commodores, where his accolades included First Team All-SEC and All-American, Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy finalist, College World Series Most Outstanding Player and The Tennessean's 2019 Sportsperson of the Year, Rocker was drafted No. 10 overall by the New York Mets in 2021 but failed to sign with the team due to a failed physical. The specific concerns about Rocker remain unknown.

The terms of Rocker's deal with the Valley Cats and when he will pitch for them are unclear, however, it is believed he will use the team to showcase for scouts ahead of the upcoming MLB Draft, for which he remains eligible.

Rocker has made few public appearances and has not publicly commented on what happened last year. However, Tim Corbin said in January that he was "on course" to be healthy and pitching in the summer.

The 2022 MLB Draft will take place from July 17-19.

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Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt baseball: Kumar Rocker to pitch in independent league