Is Arjun Nimmala the first player of Indian descent to be selected in the first round of MLB Draft? Toronto Blue Jays tweet contentious claim

The Toronto Blue Jays selected shortstop Arjun Nimmala with the 20th overall pick of the MLB Draft Sunday night. Nimmala was claimed to be the first player of Indian descent to be selected in the first round.

But was he really? It all depends on how you look at it.

Just two years ago, the New York Mets claimed pitcher Kumar Rocker with the 10th overall pick of the 2021 MLB Draft. Rocker's maternal grandparents immigrated from India to the United States, with his mother, Lalitha, attending the University of Maryland.

However, Kumar Rocker's dad, Tracy, is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, who played in the NFL with the Washington Commanders (then, Redskins) when he met his future wife.

So, Rocker can claim half-Indian heritage.

Arjun Nimmala's parents immigrated to the United States from India, where the future shortstop was born in Tampa, Florida. As a child, Nimmala spent his summers in India visiting relatives.

So, while Rocker has Indian on one side of his family tree, Arjun Nimmala is full-blooded Indian all the way back to the subcontinent. A better claim by the Blue Jays may be that their new draftee is the first player of full Indian descent to be selected in the first round.

Arjun Nimmala among the best high schoolers in draft

Bo Bichette #11 is the current shortstop of the Toronto Blue Jays

Nimmala, just 17 years old, is among the top high school prospects in the country. The 2022-23 Florida Gatorade Player of the Year hit .479 with six home runs, 29 RBIs and 30 runs scored while playing fundamentally-sound shortstop for the Strawberry Crest High School baseball team located near Tampa.

His father played cricket in India, and the younger Nimmala is also said to be quite good at the game.