Former Vanderbilt Pitchers Turning Heads in Spring Training: The Anchor, March 12, 2025
The legacy of the current Vanderbilt baseball team is from being chiseled in stone, but the program’s legacy stretches past the collegiate ranks into the MLB.
Former Commodores are littered across the nation’s MLB and minor league rosters, but two former Commodores are drawing some significant attention as teams get ready for Opening Day later this month.
Right-handed pitchers Jack Leither and Kumar Rocker are looked at as being major contributors for the Texas Rangers this season, either in the bullpen or on the starting rotation. That fact was highlighted in ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel’s column about breakout candidates on every MLB team. Here’s what McDaniel said about Rocker and Leither:
“There probably isn't room for either of the former Vanderbilt teammates in the Opening Day rotation, but both will be there at some point after likely entering the season as the sixth and seventh options. Both are on the 40-man roster, and trending up -- Rocker with a breakout 2024 and Leiter with a hot start to spring training. They are reaching their long-held (but not always accurate at the time) hype with more casual fans.”
That’s a great spring training report, but we’ll see how accurate is when Leither and Rocker take to the mound in the upcoming season.
Today’s Commodores Schedule
Lacrosse: Vanderbilt at Coastal Carolina, 11 a.m., ESPN+
Men’s Basketball: Vanderbilt vs. Texas, SEC Tournament, 2:20 p.m., SEC Network
Yesterday’s Commodores Results
Baseball: Vanderbilt 12, Valparaiso 0
Women’s Golf: Vanderbilt at Yale Invitational West (Team: 5th place, 1-over par)
Countdown to Vanderbilt’s 2025 Football Season Opener
171 days
Commodores Quote of the Day …
“This is the worst day I have ever had as an athletics director. There wasn’t one media person or bracket that I saw that did not have us in. It did not even seem like we were on the bubble.”Todd Turner on this date in 2000
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Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.