Usually wearing Vanderbilt’s black pinstripes—hat, jersey, pants and socks all black—Rocker is a nightmare for opposing batters.
He is lithe on the mound and while at first glance doesn’t have the same intimidating build, batters know the danger Leiter presents.
At their core, they represent the “Vandy Boy” ethos that coach Tim Corbin works so hard to instill in his team.
Al Leiter is a two-time all-star lefthander who pitched 19 years in the big leagues, predominantly for the Mets.
The thing that connects the pair the most, of course, is their talent.
Rocker did so in 2019 when he struck out 19 batters in a no-hitter against Duke in super regionals and then backed up that gem with a pair of outstanding starts in the College World Series to help Vanderbilt to the national championship.
Leiter dazzled early as a true freshman in 2020 before the pandemic halted the season, but he made up for lost time this spring.
As great as Rocker and Leiter have been all season long, as many brilliant performances as they have turned in, Vanderbilt pitching coach Scott Brown has been most struck by the way they haven’t been affected by anything surrounding them—not the draft talk, not the attention, not the pressure.
“The most impressive trait for both of them is their ability to handle the individual expectations of performance from week to week,” Brown said.
The Commodores were 45-15 going into the College World Series and had a chance to repeat as national champions.
They are partners playing catch and keen observers of the other’s starts, often charting each other.
Never before had someone thrown a no-hitter in super regionals—which have been a part of the NCAA Tournament since 1999—and his came with Vanderbilt facing elimination.
His performance earned him CWS Most Outstanding Player honors, ahead of teammates JJ Bleday, the fourth overall pick in the 2019 draft; and Austin Martin, the fifth overall pick in 2020.
“I definitely reflected on it, but just being here it wasn’t really on my mind,” Rocker said.
He’s still expected to be a top 10 pick, but concerns about his heavy slider usage and large frame have cropped up.
He’s also had some lesser outings—he got knocked out in the fourth inning by Arkansas in the SEC Tournament—but he’s come back the next week, as ready as ever.
In 2019, Rocker had an important role for the national champions, but with so many veterans around him, he didn’t have to be a leader as well.
But Rocker understands that as the Friday starter, it is incumbent on him to set the tone for the weekend and that his teammates often look to him for an example.
“That level of maturity today that didn’t reside several years ago,” Corbin said.
It was really an unofficial visit for Al, who was interested in learning about the program Corbin had built and the vaunted pitching development program that began under former Vanderbilt pitching coach Derek Johnson, now the Reds pitching coach, and has continued under Brown.
Leiter returned to Vanderbilt a year and a half later to pitch at a fall camp.
He was rated as a first-round pick out of high school and between his stuff, pitchability and pedigree, it would have been easy to imagine him signing.
Leiter was being brought along slowly in 2020 thanks to the incredible depth of the pitching staff.
Leiter was draft-eligible as a second-year player due to his age, and early rankings had him penciled in at the top of draft boards alongside Rocker.
Leiter missed a start in May, a late scratch due to fatigue.
After that skipped start, Leiter threw five straight quality starts leading into the CWS and allowed just three home runs after allowing eight in his previous three starts.
“You have the dream of playing here, but you don’t know exactly what it’ll entail,” Leiter said.
In the classroom, coach Corbin talks about the importance of how you carry yourself off the field before you even start talking about baseball.
Cole and Bauer hold the lofty draft status, but Cole, despite being the first overall pick in 2011, never had a season to match Rocker and Leiter.
It’s a question Brown doesn’t know how to answer, an impossible choice.
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