Continued success for Rangers’ pitching staff relies on rebound efforts of this second year man

The Texas Rangers' starting pitching staff was the best in Major League Baseball in 2025. Unfortunately, the club couldn't translate a historic season from the likes of Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Tyler Mahle and Jack Leiter into anything more than an even 81-81 record that fell short of postseason play.

Touted young prospect Kumar Rocker was part of that rotation for parts of the season. He showed some promising signs of progression but also struggled on his way to a 4-5 record, a lofty 5.64 ERA and 1.46 WHIP.

Kumar Rocker should be ready to take the next step in 2026

If the Rangers rotation is going to have the same type of success next year, then Kumar Rocker needs to make the same kind of leap that his fellow Vanderbilt teammate Jack Leiter showed over the second half of 2025.

Leiter nailed down a starting spot moving forward with better command and composure on the mound last season, and Rocker has the ability to do the same thing.

Rocker is a brute of a hurler, standing at 6'5" and tipping the scale at approximately 250 pounds. He has plus velocity with a fastball that routinely hits between 94-96 on the gun. He also boasts a tremendous slow change that he uses as a strikeout pitch.

The Rangers are counting on Rocker making big strides in 2026

With Patrick Corbin likely moving on after filling the fifth spot in the rotation for most of 2025, and Merrill Kelly likely to sign elsewhere, there is an opening for a talented pitcher like Rocker to fill next season.

New manager Skip Schumaker and the organization will be ready and willing to give Rocker the first shot at stepping into that vacancy starting in Spring Training next February.

He has all the tools to follow Leiter's lead and become a key part of the staff. There is nothing that Chris Young and the Rangers would like more than to have a rotation consisting of deGrom, Eovaldi, Mahle, Leiter, and Rocker to start off the 2026 regular season.

Coming into his second, full big league season, it is now up to the imposing right-hander to make his presence felt.