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Pitcher Kumar Rocker’s History-making Career Hits a Speed Bump
By Romen Basu Borsellino | 10 Jun, 2025

Rocker’s journey calls to mind the last two Indians who made baseball history

Texas Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker, the first and only Indian American to play Major League Baseball, has been demoted to the minor leagues. 

Rocker’s reassignment to the AAA-level Round Rock Express comes as the result of health setbacks and poor in-game performance both physically and mentally. But while it is indeed a setback, it would be unwise to count Rocker out. His entire career has, after all, been marked by both highs and lows.

After a record-setting collegiate career at the University of Vanderbilt, Rocker was drafted to the MLB by the New York Mets. But the verbal agreement, which would have given Rocker a $6 million signing bonus, was revoked by the Mets following the results of his physical. Shortly after, Rocker got shoulder surgery.

He got another shot at the draft a year later and was selected third overall by the Texas Rangers with a $5.2 million signing bonus. But a major league start was far from guaranteed. Rocker hopped around the minor league level before needing a season-ending Tommy John surgery in 2023.

But on September 12, 2024, Rocker got called up to the majors. He took the mound for the Rangers that night, becoming the first ever Indian American to play in the major leagues. 

Rocker’s maternal grandparents came to the United States from the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh in 1965. His father Tracy, an African American, is a defensive line coach for the NFL’s Tennessee Titans and previously played for the Washington Redskins.

While Rocker’s physical appearance may be racially ambiguous, his first name is easily identifiable as Indian thanks largely to the success of the 2004 comedy “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle,” in which actor Kal Penn portrays a stoner with the same first name.

While Rocker is the first Indian American player to play in the majors, he was not the first Indian to sign a major league contract. In 2008 Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, both from the North Indian city of Lucknow, signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates after winning the Million Dollar Arm contest, which plucked them from complete obscurity.

The contest, which was later adapted to a Disney film of the same name, set out to find the fastest and most accurate pitchers in India. Despite having no baseball experience, Singh and Patel finished first and second, respectively, and were flown to the US to learn the game. In 2009 both players made history pitching for the Pirates’ rookie-level affiliate. 

Dinseh Patel was released from the team in 2010. He returned to India to finish high school and teach baseball. He also took up the sport of javelin throwing and competed at the national level.

Rinku Singh continued to have a successful baseball career, pitching with the Pirates affiliate and playing in several additional season leagues until becoming a free agent in 2016. 

In 2018 Singh made an unexpected career turn and became a professional wrestler. Over the next six years, Singh competed in various WWE tag team events, eventually adopting the stage name "Veer." He was cut in 2024. 

Kumar Rocker, much like Singh and Patel before him, has continued to move the sport forward for the Indian American community. While a return to the minor leagues is certainly not what he had hoped for, the Ranger’s coaching staff insists that he remains full of potential and that the downward move will only further equip him with the skills to be competitive in the major leagues. 

And worst case scenario, he can try the WWE.

While it is indeed a setback, it would be unwise to count Rocker out. His entire career has, after all, been marked by both highs and lows.

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