Kumar Rocker, Aaron Zavala garner Rangers August monthly honors
FRISCO, Texas (September 13, 2024) – The Frisco RoughRiders had two players capture August honors in the Texas Rangers farm system for August with Kumar Rocker winning Starting Pitcher of the Month and Aaron Zavala taking home Defender of the Month. Rocker, who made his Major League debut on September
FRISCO, Texas (September 13, 2024) – The Frisco RoughRiders had two players capture August honors in the Texas Rangers farm system for August with Kumar Rocker winning Starting Pitcher of the Month and Aaron Zavala taking home Defender of the Month.
Rocker, who made his Major League debut on September 12th against the Seattle Mariners, made four August starts for the RoughRiders, going 16.2 innings, allowing just one run (0.54 ERA) while striking out 25 and walking three batters. He then was promoted to Triple-A Round Rock to make his last start of the month, going 5.0 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts while allowing just one hit.
The former third-overall pick of the Rangers in 2022 underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023 and made his return to the mound this year. On Thursday, he made his MLB debut after only 16 outings in the Minor Leagues over two years, allowing just one run to the Mariners over four innings while striking out seven.
An outfielder for the RoughRiders, Zavala was named Defender of the Month after owning a perfect fielding percentage in the month. He had four outfield assists as well. Originally an infielder at the University of Oregon, the former second-rounder did not start playing in the outfield until his final season with the Ducks in 2021.
The other awards are as follows:
Player of the Month – Julian Brock (Down East Wood Ducks)
Starting Pitcher of the Month – Kumar Rocker (Frisco RoughRiders, Round Rock Express)
Reliever of the Month – Ryan Lobus (Hickory Crawdads)
Defender of the Month – Aaron Zavala (Frisco RoughRiders)
The RoughRiders continue a six-game road series against the Amarillo Sod Poodles (Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate) at 7:05 p.m. on Friday, September 13th. The Riders are expected to turn to LHP Kohl Drake (2-1, 3.63) against RHP Joe Elbis (0-3, 3.70) for the Sod Poodles.
For tickets and more information about the Frisco RoughRiders, visit RidersBaseball.com or call 972.731.9200.
About the RoughRiders
The Frisco RoughRiders are the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and the 2022 Texas League champions. In 2023, the team celebrated its 20th anniversary and has consistently finished in the top five among all Double-A franchises in attendance yearly. In August 2014, the RoughRiders were purchased by an ownership group led by Chuck Greenberg. Since then, the new ownership group, together with the City of Frisco, has spearheaded numerous major franchise enhancements, investing over $8 million in a wide array of facility upgrades and improvements, including a state-of-the-art HD video board, sound system, Bull Moose Saloon, Bullpen Bar, Riders Outpost Team Store and the world's largest water feature in a sports facility, the massive Lazy River. These enhancements earned the Riders and the City of Frisco Ballpark Digest's prestigious "Best Ballpark Renovation" award for two consecutive years (2015 and 2016). More than 200 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball including current Rangers Josh Jung, Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford. For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact [email protected].