Rangers promoting top pitching prospect Kumar Rocker to face division rival

Kumar Rocker is the Rangers' top pitching prospect in their minor league system. He was a teammate of Jack Leiter's at Vanderbilt University, where they dominated the SEC for years. Rangers fans started to imagine both on the roster when the team took a gamble by drafting Rocker.

Well, the day has finally arrived. The Rangers announced Monday that Rocker will make his Major League debut against the Seattle Mariners Thursday night.

Rocker is set to be the first player of Indian descent to start in MLB. His mom's side of the family speaks Telugu, a language that is primarily spoken in southeastern India. It's a pretty cool moment that Rangers fans will get to see on television or if they are going to the game in Seattle.

What's even cooler is that Rocker has a chance to spoil a division rival's playoff hopes right when he steps foot on a big-league mound, which could set a good tone moving forward.

Texas Rangers News: Kumar Rocker to make MLB debut Thursday vs Mariners

Rocker's ascension cannot be ignored. Sometimes pitchers have difficulty getting back to full strength after Tommy John surgery. Rocker didn't waste a minute as he dominated on the mound with the Frisco RoughRiders and the Round Rock Express. In the two starts with the Express, he struck out 18 batters and only allowed a run.

Rocker is known for his fastball and slider, nicknamed the "death ball." Rocker's fastball is currently around 100 MPH, which is fantastic post-surgery. Rocker also makes quick work of the pitchers he faces. As you can see below, it only took five pitches to strike out Dalton Rushing. Rocker could have long outings at the major league level if he strikes out batters quickly.

We'll see if he will have a hard pitch limit like other pitchers returning from surgery, but either way, the Rangers creating a lane for Rocker's MLB debut will allow him to get a taste of MLB action before next season. Rocker could be the first homegrown pitcher the Rangers have developed in a long time.

If Rocker puts on another master class against the Mariners, the New York Mets could be rethinking their decision not to sign him to a contract back in 2022.