SURPRISE, Ariz. — Kumar Rocker didn’t waste any time getting to work on the biggest project of spring: Using his changeup more often, particularly to left-handed hitters.
During his first brief round of live batting practice Sunday at Rangers camp, Rocker threw four changeups to the two lefties he faced: Evan Carter and Sam Haggerty.
“Honestly, I didn’t even know he had one,” said Haggerty, a switch-hitter who primarily faces lefties. “But it will be a good wrinkle for him. Something that appears straight and then has that 8-10 mile drop in velo. I thought it had a good effect. If he’s throwing it in a good spot, it really be effective. He threw three in a row to me, all in the same spot. That was good to see.”
Haggerty swung through one of the changes and took the other two, though the first rounds of live batting practice are mostly for hitters to track pitches. It’s not uncommon for them to not swing at all.
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Rocker last week said of the changeup that he needs to “own it, not rent it,” but that he first had to show it and prove it to himself. A year ago, Rocker threw the changeup only 6.1% of the time, and batters had a .714 slugging percentage against the pitch. The lack of ability to use it bled over to making his primary pitches, a fastball that can flirt with 100 mph and a hard breaking pitch, less effective as well.
Another interesting element from his live batting practice session: Rocker wore a pitchcom communicator device on his belt, allowing him to call his own pitches.
Count manager Skip Schumaker among those impressed with Rocker’s performance.
“He looked really good yesterday,” Schumaker said. “There was intent behind his live. Felt like he was on the gas pedal, throwing strikes. His velocity was up. The sinker was real. And the slider and changeup were both effective to lefties. It was an impressive start. Even in the elements of the run game, he went from the stretch some and used some slide steps. It was good to see.
“He’s growing up ‘s growing up and understanding what this looks like. It’s all a learning experience. And I think he’s, he’s trying to, I think he’s figuring out how to do this and making it his own. It was impressive.”
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