Vanderbilt freshman pitcher Kumar Rocker saw millions of dollars on one side and mom on the other. Guess which one he chose.

“In my gut, I just needed my mom to be happy with my decision,” said Rocker, rated the No. 1 freshman in college baseball by Perfect Game heading into No. 1-ranked Vanderbilt’s season-opening weekend. “I don’t know if it makes me a mama’s boy. But I couldn’t go into pro ball thinking that she was not OK with it.”

Rocker was projected as a first-round pick in last summer’s major league draft, where signing bonuses were slotted between $2.3 million and $8.1 million per player. But he instead chose to play for Vanderbilt and postpone his pro career at least three years, which is required by prospects attending college.

VANDY FANS:Follow Kumar Rocker's start for Vanderbilt in Game 2 of the Nashville Super Regional

Rocker, a 6-foot-4, 255-pound right-hander whose fastball touches 98 mph, will be on a loaded pitching staff when Vanderbilt plays in the elite MLB Collegiate Tournament in Talking Stick, Arizona, this weekend. The Commodores will face Virginia Friday (6 p.m., MLB Network), No. 25 Cal State Fullerton Saturday (2 p.m.) and No. 19 TCU Sunday (noon).

Mom wanted Rocker at Vanderbilt from the beginning

Vanderbilt baseball fans were elated and surprised that Rocker came to college. And coach Tim Corbin, though he’d seen it before, admitted some skepticism that such a highly-touted pitcher would say no to an instant payday.

“Kumar’s mom, Lu, always said, ‘Coach, I don’t know what you’re hearing, but my kid is coming to school,’” Corbin recalled. “I told her, ‘Do you know how many times I’ve heard that from a parent?’”

Rocker said his decision to come to Vanderbilt, ultimately, was his own. But his mom gave him a good push in that direction.

“I remember my mom saying (to Corbin), ‘Oh, he’s coming, he’s coming, he’s coming. I promise you that,’” Rocker said. “And I thought, ‘Wow, mom, that’s a big promise.’ But I’m here now.

“I’m an 18-year-old kid, so I was never going to make a decision like that without leaning on the wisdom of my parents, my elders.”

Dad Tracy Rocker, a UT Vols football coach, also has input

Kumar’s dad, Tracy, was a College Football Hall of Famer as an Auburn defensive lineman, and he’s now the Tennessee Vols defensive line coach. Kumar’s mother, Lu, is an instructional designer and the daughter of Indian immigrants. They met when Lu was a student at the University of Maryland and Tracy played for the Washington Redskins.

“Education has always been a huge part of our culture, and it's important for Kumar,” Lu said. “I was around student-athletes at Maryland, and it’s just the most amazing time in your life. They do something they love, plus get better, plus grow up, plus be under some of the best coaching in the world, plus get an education that’s above and beyond.”

Rocker is influenced by both parents. Like his dad, he was a talented defensive lineman in high school. But once his fastball reached 89 mph as a 15-year-old, he decided his best future was in baseball. Rocker’s mother chose his first name. Kumar means “prince” or “young son” in Hindi, and she taught her son to honor both branches of his family tree.

“I told Kumar when he fills out forms, put ‘blindian’ because you’re black Indian,” said Lu with a laugh. “I want him to be aware of his heritage and for other people to question where his heritage is, and not look at him only as an African-American child.”

Vanderbilt pitchers who have turned down big paydays

Rocker is the latest pitcher to turn down millions of dollars to play for Vanderbilt.

Tyler Beede (2011) and Donny Everett (2015) each turned down $2.5 million out of high school to come to Vanderbilt. David Price turned down “about a million dollars, which back then (in 2004) was a lot of money,” Corbin said.

And there are other examples of elite high school pitchers in recent years balking on big paydays to instead go to Vanderbilt. Rocker is just the latest to carry ultra-high expectations and the label of the next great pitcher for the Commodores.

Rocker is humble, and Corbin knows how to handle talented young pitchers.

“I essentially treat him like everyone else. What I try not to do is put them in the spotlight too soon,” Corbin said. “I think it’s pleasing to them because there’s a lot that is already pressurized to them, so I try to remove that.”

Rocker more than a hard thrower

Vanderbilt returns its entire weekend starting rotation — Drake Fellows, Patrick Raby and Mason Hickman — so Rocker can work into form slowly.

“Whatever role the coaches need me to do, I’m fine with it,” Rocker said.

But he is too skilled to sit in the dugout or bullpen for long. In a fall scrimmage against Oklahoma State, he struck out eight consecutive batters, relying on a scorching fastball and a pair of well-controlled off-speed pitches.

“He’s a power pitcher, but he’s not one of those guys that go to the state fair and try to light up the radar gun to win a stuffed animal,” Corbin said. “He’s a guy that’s trying to get hitters out, and he’s doing it smartly.”

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Reach Adam Sparks at asparks@tennessean.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks.