Rock Rucker: A name made for Auburn or the MLB Draft

The saying goes that you only have one chance to make a good first impression. The first impression Rock Rucker made on his baseball coach was a joke, albeit unintentionally.

"I had never heard of him," recalled Russell County (Seale, Ala.) coach Tony Rasmus. "Rock sent me a text that said he was a 6-foot-5 player who could hit with power and throw pitches in the low 90s and he was looking to transfer. I laughed out loud. I thought it was a gag."

It wasn't.

Rucker hits with power, has great speed for someone who is 6-foot-5 and 231 pounds, and his fastball has been clocked at faster than 90 mph.

So why is Russell County High Rucker's third school in three years?

"When my father lost his job, we moved to Florida after my sophomore year at Trinity (Blessed Trinity, Roswell, Ga.)," Rucker explained. "I was home-schooled for the first half of my junior year and then lived with my aunt for the second half and played at Redan (Stone Mountain, Ga.)."

Following his junior year, Rucker was told by school officials he was ineligible to play his senior year in Georgia because of school transfer rules. A friend of the family suggested Rucker consider attending and playing at Russell County, where he'd face a tougher schedule against better competition.

The family didn't take long to decide.

"One morning I got that text from Rock and two days later the family shows up at the front of the school ready to enroll," Rasmus, who is in his 12th season, recalled with a chuckle. "It really was a quick process."

Like any student who transfers from one school to the next, Rucker did so with some trepidation.

"At first I was nervous," Rucker shared. "But coach Rasmus and the players accepted me with open arms. It's a good group of guys who made me feel at home. It's like we're a big family."

Rucker's move to Alabama means he is now a resident in the state in which he has committed to play baseball in college.

"I went to visit and when I was walking with the coach on campus everyone greeted me," Rucker said about his decision to play for Auburn. "That caught my eye first, and then the fact that they were going to give me a chance to play as a freshman made my decision an easier one."

Rucker said he will most likely play the outfield at Auburn and be a weekend starter or reliever. That is, if the potential first-round draft pick ever arrives on campus. Rucker said he is projected as a "sandwich pick" in the back end of the first round in the upcoming Major League Draft.

"I have an advisor [a family friend] and he told me I should make the decision after the season is over," Rucker said. "That way I have enough time to evaluate my situation."

The scouts' evaluation is easy. Rucker is batting .420 with seven homers, nine doubles, 30 RBIs and a .756 slugging percentage. His season highlights include belting a two-run homer and a grand slam against previously unbeaten Brookstone and tossing a no-hitter against Beauregard. The multitalented player recently had five hits and pitched four no-hit innings on the mound in the Warriors' 8-0 win over George Washington (New York City) in the inaugural National High School Invitational.

"He has the potential to be a great pitcher and a great hitter," Rasmus said. "He has magical power. He has all the qualities a scout likes in a player."

One of Rucker's qualities is being a realist when it comes to his chances of succeeding in the pros.

"I love to pitch and hit," said Rucker, who is 5-0 on the mound with a 0.61 ERA. "But if I want to be more realistic, in the draft they want me as a pitcher. Lefties who throw in the low-to-mid 90s are rare. That's my ticket."

Rasmus, who was drafted by the Angels in 1986 and led Russell County to the 2005 Class 5A state championship, has advised several players, including his own three sons, on choosing between signing a minor league contract or attending college.

"All I can tell him is what I went through," said Rasmus, whose three sons chose to sign minor league contracts right out of high school. "Ultimately, he has to make his own decision and ask himself, 'Am I going to college to get a degree or play baseball?' If the answer is baseball, you might as well skip college for now and take your shot. Rock has to weigh all the options. All I can do is lay it all out there."

Russell County's (25-9) season will most likely end in late May, and it's then, just prior to June's Major League Draft, when Rucker will have to seriously think about his immediate future. But until then, he plans to focus on leading the Warriors as deep into the Alabama State Tournament as he can, and sometimes that might mean doing so with a little "goofiness" added to the seriousness.

"I'm probably the goofiest and most outgoing person around," Rucker said with a laugh. "I'm a big joker. I love to make people laugh and smile."

That trait spurned a comment you rarely ever hear from a coach about one of his players.

"Sometimes I think he needs to be a little cockier on the field," Rasmus admitted. "It's just that he is one of the nicest kids you'll ever meet and so laid back, sometimes I think if he had more of an ‘edge' to him it would help him on the field."

When he does take the field, it doesn't matter whether it's on the mound or in the outfield, Rucker is all smiles.

"The atmosphere is amazing," Rucker said when asked why he loves to play the game so much. "I just love it."

Come June, fans at either Auburn University or a minor league team are going to love the fact that Rucker is coming to play for their team. It's a decision that will come in time, and no matter how tough the decision is to make, Rucker is confident he'll be content.

"It's going to be a tough decision," he said. "But right now I feel good about both."

Jon Buzby is the sports columnist for the Newark Post, a freelance writer, and on the broadcast team for the 1290AM The Ticket High School Football and Basketball Games of the Week. You can reach him at jonbuzby@hotmail.com.